Help Me
by Nicole4211
Summary: Orihime can't get over her time in Las Noches and Ulquiorra unerringly finds his way back to her. Is she just an experiment still? Will Orihime's dreams leave her alone? Mostly Ulquihime Ulquiorra/ Orihime , maybe some well I don't wanna give it away. Definitely filled with lemons.
1. Chapter 1

**Obviously I don't own Bleach or any of the characters. I just love them to death and want to share of the things that run through my head. Hope you enjoy!**

**Reviews much appreciated. I already have a set outline for this story but I would always enjoy suggestions. **

**Chapter 1**

**[excerpt from Volume 41, Chapter 353]**

"Hmph. I guess this is it."

"Kill me."

"Hurry up, I don't even have the strength to walk anymore."

"If you don't cut me down now, you'll never get to settle this."

-"No"

"What?"

-"I said NO!"

-"I… I DON"T WANNA WIN LIKE THIS!"

"Hmph. To the very end… you never do what I want you to do."

"Just when I finally started taking an interest in you people."

"Are you afraid of me woman?"

-"I'm not."

"I see"

As Ulquiorra faded away he wondered what this would be like. He always knew that fast regeneration could only heal an appendage which was why he had spent countless hours training his body to heal itself from fatal injuries. The process was much more difficult than just growing a new arm or a new leg though. A fatal injury required a rebirth of sorts. His body had to break down completely and start over; recreating every organ, every muscle, and every bone until he was whole again.

He watched as his whole being turned to ash and uttered one last prayer before thoughts no longer existed.

_What is heart?_

_Can it be seen if I rip open this chest of yours?_

_If I crush your skull, will I find it there?_

_You humans speak of it so casually. As if…_

_I see._

_So this is it._

_This thing in the palm of my hand… _

_Is heart._

-**Tite Kubo**

Days passed, not a whisper of a thought.

Weeks passed, 'who am i?'

Months passed, 'is that my heart beating?'

Finally, Ulquiorra opened his eyes to the black sky above him and looked at the crescent moon, 'that looks familiar,' he thought.

He picked himself up off the ground and surveyed the world around him. Rubble from ruined pillars littered the ground everywhere. A few yards away was a large hole that looked down at a large white building. 'Home,' he said to himself.

Slowly he unfolded his large black wings and tested their strength by moving them up and down. He dove down through the hole and glided down into the great white palace. Upon landing he changed back to his most human form and started walking down through sterile hallways. His body seemed to remember the path if his thoughts did not.

Soon he was turning through a doorway and looking around at his surroundings. 'Is this my room?' he asked himself.

He looked around at the starched walls and furniture. He couldn't find a trace of anything that might have belonged to him. Then he saw it. A round silver piece sat on top of a dresser. He picked it up and looked at it with his new green eyes.

'I remember this but it isn't mine. Who's is this?' he tried desperately to remember. A flask of orange with a blue star invaded his thoughts.

He put the piece down and leaned over to open the drawers. Inside was a crisp white uniform like the one he currently wore but the shape wasn't right. Where there should have been pants there was a skirt and he could see that the waist was much too narrow for him.

This wasn't his room.

But why had he come here?

Ulquiorra turned to leave the room but stopped half way and turned back towards the dresser. He picked up the silver bracelet and dropped it in his pocket. For some reason he knew this was his.

When his footsteps took him to another room not far away he instantly recognized many of the pieces. A pile of books were stacked neatly in the corner and a matching pile of notebooks stood right beside them.

At that moment he heard a soft knock on his opened door and turned to see a plain looking servant standing in the doorway. He nodded and watched as the guy rolled in a silver cart and deposited it in the center of the room. When the servant had dutifully left, Ulquiorra walked over to the cart and lifted the silver dome off of the top. Inside was a familiar bland looking meal. 'Did he eat?'

He figured that he did since the servant had brought him the food as if he had been doing it for some time.

As expected, the food was tasteless but somehow satisfying.

Ulquiorra walked over to the white couch and sat down, reaching in his pocket to pull out the silver bracelet. He stared at the circle of silver as he passed it through his hands. 'Why can't I remember what this is?'

He put it back in his pocket and lay back, trying to remember anything from the time before his rebirth. Images of sitting at a large table with nearly a dozen different faces flashed across his mind. Then an image of a man with brown hair, sitting on a throne plastered itself to his brain… 'Aizen-sama.'

Where was his master? Did he already defeat the Soul King?

Quickly he left the room, leaving behind the cart. He walked swiftly through the hallways, memories flashing when he passed different places. When he entered the throne room and glanced up, no one was there. No one sat at the large white table either but he was able to remember the faces.

Blue hair, spoon shaped head, a man falling asleep… he remembered them all. Not a trace of their reiatsu was left. 'Did they all die?'

'Impossible,' he thought. 'No one could defeat his master.'

As he walked back to his room he remembered Aizen leaving Hueco Mundo for the human world. He decided he would start his search there. The soul reapers who had invaded recently seemed to have disappeared… 'most likely killed,' he thought so there was no immediate danger to Las Noches whom he had sworn to protect.

When he entered his room, he pulled the silver bracelet from his pocket again and stared at it. A glimpse of a hand reaching out to him through his ashes brushed across his memory. He reached harder with his mind to seek out what this hand was a part of and saw startlingly beautiful silver eyes staring back at him.

His whole body started to shudder as a wave of memories overtook him; long golden hair, warm shapely body, heart. He blinked when a form with long white antlers and full hollow mask jumped in front of the woman. The monsters sword was raised up towards him and dark eyes bore no recognition in them. They were truly hollow eyes.

Ulquiorra put the bracelet back in his pocket instead of leaving it in his room like he had originally planned. He instantly opened a garganta and entered the world of the living.

Orihime screamed as she awoke from the terrifying nightmare. She gasped and grabbed at something in front of her but her hand came away with nothing. When she caught her breath and lay back down, she stared at the shadowy ceiling above her and cried.

Every night since she had watched Ulquiorra crumbled apart in front of her she had woken up in a similar manner. Most nights her hand reached and felt nothing. Some nights a monster jumped between their hands and sliced the others hand off. All were equally terrifying. The emptiness was always there.

Orihime rolled over and felt the tears she had shed while asleep drift over her cheeks. 'Will I ever forget?' she wondered as the image of emerald green eyes wafted into her thoughts.

Sighing, Orihime rose out of bed and started her morning routine. When she was finished she had nearly 45 minutes left until Tatsuki would be banging on her door to walk with her to school. She used to have to run in a panic to get ready for school in time but lately she found herself early every morning. Her mind never let her sleep in.

Instead of doing something constructive with her free time, Orihime plopped down on the sofa and stared off at nothing. Her thoughts wandered back to several weeks ago when she had been a prisoner in Las Noches. She had been terrified for her friends' lives. Every day spent there had been an agony of worry and hopelessness. She had longed more than anything to run away from those wicked white walls and piercing stares.

Over time though, she had come to find solace in the quiet. Her thoughts were able to wander at will and she never had to worry about what people were thinking about her. There was no one there to impress. No one there to laugh at her when her thoughts distracted her and made her miss what someone had said. Even the white walls had become a comfort to her. The blank canvas had allowed her imagination to run wild with stories and adventures.

Orihime was startled when the loud bang on the door broke through the silence. Tatsuki walked in a moment later and looked over at Orihime sitting on the couch.

"Orihime, are you ready for school?" Tatsuki asked with a bit of concern spreading across her face.

Orihime stood up and replied, "Yea I'm ready."

Tatsuki still hadn't gotten used to this new Orihime. Her jovial spirit and love for everything life had to offer had disappeared weeks ago when she had finally come back home. Even food no longer held any interest for her best friend.

The pair walked to school and Orihime passed by everyone in the hallway with nods and small smiles, heading straight to class.

To Orihime the day passed quickly. She was barely aware of the people around her laughing and enjoying the spring weather. When Tatsuki ran up to her and told her she couldn't walk home with her because of practice, Orihime nodded and headed home alone.

When she got home she didn't bother to make dinner. She knew Tatsuki would be mad but she didn't really care. Instead she walked straight to the bathroom and ran a tub of steaming hot water for a bath. A few minutes later she let her body sink into the blisteringly hot water and laid her head back.

Of late, her baths were the only things that let her body experience any sort of feeling. The stinging hot water made her feel alive for a short time. The rest of the time, everything seemed dull.

Orihime groaned when the water started cooling off, letting her know it was time to get out. She decided to skip getting dressed and walked back to her room completely naked save for the towel draped around her torso. Without even letting her hair dry she jumped into bed and drifted off to sleep. Dreams filled with clashing swords and unattainable endings filled her entire night.

A few months later Orihime still woke in the middle of the night to invisible hands and crying eyes. She had become even more distant from her friends who tried overly hard to make her happy. She felt bad for what she was doing to them but she just couldn't find the will to care enough.

One day when she arrived home from school she felt something strange yet familiar in her house. The place was empty though and nothing seemed to be out of place. She decided to ignore the feeling and started on her way to the bathroom for her nightly soak. When she passed the counter in her kitchen she noticed something that wasn't supposed to be there.

She stared down at the silver circle and gasped when recognition hit her brain. 'The bracelet!'

Orihime just stood by her counter, transfixed by the shining metal. 'What was it doing there? Who put it there?'

Her eyes started to look wildly around her living room and kitchen, trying to find the culprit. The place was empty.

When she finally found enough courage to pick up the bracelet she fingered the metal tentatively at first but eventually picked it up and slid it over her wrist. It felt the same as she remembered. The coolness of the metal felt good on her wrist and the weight felt right. She decided to keep it on.

Instead of going for the bath she had been planning on, Orihime walked to her bedroom and lay down on her bed. She stared at the bracelet and let the memories take over her mind.

She remembered when Ulquiorra had first given her that bracelet on her way back from the Soul Society to the human world. He had frightened her so much back then. His cool stares and hollow words had filled her with sadness and despair. She remembered the many conversations she had had with him about her friends and emotions. He had seemed more human on those occasions. Though he tried to put off an air of unfeeling, his curiosity always made her wonder. How could someone who didn't feel anything and who denied the existence of emotions so much, push so hard for answers to questions he thought he already knew the answer to?

Orihime's thoughts continued to wander to the moment she had re-lived time and time again in her dreams. The moment when those big searching eyes sought out hers and his hand had grasped longingly for her own blazed across her eyes while the tears spilled unheeded to the sheets.

She cried herself to sleep that night but when the tragic dream came to its end, the hand that always disappeared touched her for the briefest of seconds before vanishing.

Ulquiorra didn't know when he had decided to leave the bracelet with the woman but he didn't regret the decision. He moved through the white hallways at a steady pace. He didn't know where exactly he was going but he needed to move.

Ever since he had gone to the human world and learned that Aizen was gone, locked up in a cell deep within the Soul Society, he had wandered around the halls of Las Noches. Every book he tried to pick up would shortly find its way to the floor. Nothing seemed to hold his interest for long. So exploring the halls of Las Noches had become his constant activity.

He spent the first few days exploring the former Espada's rooms. None had been very interesting but he had found a few good books hidden in Halibels room. When he finished that, he decided to look at Aizen's former rooms. Surprisingly his rooms were nearly as bare as the rest of the palace.

Gin's room had been a little bit more interesting. Several trinkets were littered around the large space and a frame sat on a table in the small adjacent room. In the picture was the face of a blonde haired girl with massive breasts and a seductive smile. Ulquiorra wondered who that was.

Every day, Ulquiorra would return to his own rooms before nightfall but on the way there he always stopped by the former prisoner's rooms and looked inside. He didn't know what it was he was looking for but he felt the need to do it anyway.

One night, Ulquiorra was standing in the doorway to Orihime's old room and a thought crossed his mind. When he had last been in the human world he had left through a garganta he had created in Orihime's house. Since he knew the exactly location, he could now go straight to the same place.

Ulquiorra didn't bother to think of the reasons he wanted to do this but went right ahead and opened the gate. When he stepped through he found himself in the middle of a small room. His eyes searched through the darkness and finally found what he had been looking for.

Orihime lay in her bed, twitching nervously as a dream played out in her mind. Ulquiorra watched her as her hands twisted in the sheets and tiny moans escaped her fragile face. When her arm lifted from the bed and grasped at the air he jumped when a cry tore from the girl's lips and tears streamed down her pale cheeks. She gulped through her tears and whimpered a name.

"Ulquiorra.."

Ulquiorra was so stunned by the scene that had just played out in front of him that he didn't notice the girls' eyes opening and lifting to stare at him. When he finally noticed, he stared at the girl and quickly jumped through the garganta, closing it quickly behind him.

His thoughts were racing when he walked back through into Las Noches. 'What was she dreaming about? Why did she look so sad? Why had she said his name?'

None of it made any sense to him but he quickly shut it out of his mind and walked to his room.

Orihime stared at the space in front of her. Did she really just see what she thought she saw? Had she finally lost her mind after all this time? It wouldn't surprise her. She didn't seem to have much control of her thoughts lately.

But something inside her seemed to have woken up. Her mind raced with thoughts of, 'Maybe he's still alive. Maybe he could take me back? How could she want to go back to a place like that?' She truly believed she had lost her mind now but she couldn't help it. She wanted to go back to Las Noches. She needed to go back.

She turned her face into her pillow and worked out a plan. When sleep finally claimed her she was ready for the events of the next day.

**Hope you guys are enjoying so far. It's not as long as some of the chapters in my last story but that's only because I had to spend time outlining this story first tonight. More than likely the next couple chapters will be longer. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry about Chapter 1. I swear I had page breaks when I switched scenes but I didn't preview the story after I submitted it so I didn't realize that the lines didn't show up. I hope it wasn't too confusing.**

**Chapter 2**

Orihime woke up the next day for school early but for different reasons than the past few months. By the end of the day she fully planned to be laying on her white bed in Las Noches. She just needed to convince one person…

The day went by agonizingly slowly. When the final bell rang she ran from the room without a backwards glance at her friends who were left scratching their heads in confusion.

The distance to Urahara's shop wasn't extremely far but she was breathing hard when she grabbed the knob of the shops entrance. The first person she saw was the quiet black haired girl who was busy straightening bars of chocolate that sat on a table.

Ururu turned when she heard Orihime come in and asked, "Can I help you?"

Orihime took a moment to catch her breath before she began, "Is Urahara-san in?"

"Y…" Ururu was about to respond when a quiet shout was heard from across the room.

"Orihime! What brings you here? You aren't still mad at me about my comments before the whole Aizen showdown are you?"

"Of course not Urahara-san. I know you were only looking out for me. I have a favor to ask of you though." Orihime said a bit nervously. Her whole plan rested on his answer.

"What can I help you with?" Urahara asked while taking a seat on the corner of a table.

"I need you to send me back to Hueco Mundo. I left something there that I need to get back," she looked down at her feet as she said, "it's sorta personal."

Orihime heard Urahara grunt in surprise. 'I guess he wasn't expecting that,' she thought.

When she looked up, Urahara had a sorrowful look on his face as he replied, "I'm sorry Orihime-chan. I'm not allowed to open the gate anymore. It has been strictly forbidden by the Soul Society. Plus, I couldn't in good conscience let you go back there alone and I'm too busy with the shop to leave."

Orihime visibly deflated on the spot. Her whole body slouched down as she fought to control the tears that threatened.

"Please Urahara-san. It's very important to me. I.. It was something my brother gave to me before he died,"she lied. She hated to lie to him but she was truly desperate.

Urahara looked at the girl in his shop who looked like she was ready to break down on the spot. "I would really like to help you Orihime-chan but there's nothing I can do. It would take weeks for me to even get the supplies that I would need to perform the task. If there is anything else I could do for you please let me know."

Orihime sighed and turned to leave the shop. She didn't want to burst into tears in front of him so she sprinted out the door and ran all the way to her house before shedding the first tear but stopped as soon as she entered her living room. That familiar feeling came over her and she knew Ulquiorra had been here. She could feel the crushing weight of his reiatsu as she got closer to her bedroom.

When she opened the door, he was standing in the center of the room staring at her. She caught her breath as her eyes locked with his and she nearly threw herself at his feet. Instead she stood in the doorway, clutching the opened door in her hands.

"Ulquiorra, you're alive,' she said while still staring at the motionless body in front of her.

"Did you think I was dead? I would have thought you would have figured out that I could regenerate my body fully given the time," Ulquiorra answered, still standing motionless in the center of the room with his hands in his pockets.

Orihime's eyes widened at his response and then she took a step forward. "Please take me back."

His face seemed to register a moment of shock before he quickly replied, "No."

Orihime took another step forward and stared at the man in front of her. Her mind felt a mixture of emotions. She remembered his harsh words to her while he had been her captor. His every action had been a duty commanded of him by Aizen. The only time he had deviated from that duty had been when he had questioned her about her heart and emotions. She knew she had affected him in some way, if only just a little.

"Please Ulquiorra-san, I need to go back. My life is a constant nightmare that I can't wake up from. I feel like I left a part of myself there and I need it back or I won't be able to continue on. I need the dark, lifeless sky. I need the silence… please," Orihime pleaded in front of him.

Ulquiorra blinked and said, "I have no reason to bring you back."

Anger bubbled inside Orihime at his response and she couldn't control the words that flew out of her mouth, "Then why are you here? Why did you leave this bracelet?" she asked while lifting the hand that bore the silver band. "Why do you visit me at night?" Orihime was panting in furry as she screamed these words at him.

Ulquiorra seemed puzzled by her questions and coldly replied, "You were an experiment. I wanted to see the final product," he said while reopening the garganta. "Apparently my experiment was a success."

Orihime watched as he passed through the black hole and disappeared in front of her. She had been tempted to jump through as well but she knew he would only throw her back out.

With barely any thought, she sank to her knees in the center of her room and let the built up frustration inside of her come tumbling out. She screamed at the empty room and pounded her fists into the carpet. When her body lost the energy to fight, she fell to the floor and sobbed.

The next morning Orihime found herself lying on the floor. Her body was stiff when she tried to stand up and she crawled to her bed and tucked herself under the covers. She was not going to school that day.

When Tatsuki came to walk with her to school she told her she was sick and to go to school without her.

The next day came and went by the same. She never left her bed except for the mundane human tasks that couldn't be avoided.

On the third day she knew that it was Saturday and that Tatsuki would be away with her family for the next week. It was spring break. Orihime knew that she should be packing her bags and heading out to the beach like she did almost every year but she couldn't remove herself from the bed.

When evening came, Orihime decided to get up and prepare herself a bath. She let the water run till it was steaming hot then softly sighed as she slid her body in. Her thoughts returned to the visitor she had had the other night. Since then, her dreams hadn't gotten any better and even seemed to have gotten worse. No longer was there two hands reaching out for each other. Hers was now the only one.

Orihime drained the tub when she was finished and slipped into her knit shorts and tshirt. She patted her hair as dry as she could before exiting the bathroom and returning to her room. Orihime stopped dead in her tracks.

Once again, standing in the center of her room was Ulquiorra. She felt anger rise up her neck and her words streamed out unheeded as she marched towards the green eyed statue.

"How dare you come here again? I am not some little experiment that you can come to poke and prod as you please. I always thought Aizen was the cruel one but maybe I was wrong. Maybe it was you all along," she screamed as she jabbed her finger into his chest.

"You don't know what it is like for me. Every night I'm haunted by you. All day I'm cowering in the shadows to get away from the light. You won Ulquiorra. You destroyed me." Her fists began to beat on his chest as she leaned her head forward and began to cry. Her cries were heart wrenching and she was soon bending over and gasping for air between sobs. Her body collapsed forward as she hugged her stomach and rolled to her side.

She was so engrossed in the frustration inside of her that she didn't even notice when an arm reached around her back and another arm grabbed her legs under her knees. Her brain somewhat registered the change in the atmosphere but she didn't dare open her eyes. When she was finally able to calm herself down enough to open her eyes she let herself drink in the sight of the beautiful white walls and white furniture. She felt the soft oversized mattress beneath her shoulder as she lifted herself up and knelt on the cool sheets.

She was finally there.

Ulquiorra was no where in sight. He must have deposited her in her room and left immediately after. 'That was alright,' she thought. She was here, that's all that mattered.

She noticed the door to her room was closed but she wondered if it was locked. Upon further inspection she found that it was not and smiled to herself. 'She would have to go exploring later.'

For now though she contented herself with standing over the shadow cast by the window and stared at the bleached moon. It felt strange to be staring at it again. For countless hours she had stood in that same spot and stared in the same direction. It had been different then though. Her thoughts had been constantly focused on the wellbeing of her friends. What she saw now was empty. It was like staring at a picture that captured only a moment in time. She was happy with this realization. Maybe she would no longer be plagued by memories of its eerie glow.

Orihime walked over to the couch and sunk down into the downy softness. She pressed her fingers into the cushions and let herself bounce up and down. 'She hadn't done this before,' she thought. 'Why hadn't she? It was fun.'

She giggled as she launched herself into the air and let her body bounce onto the creamy cushions. When she looked up and saw the bed on the opposite side of the room she quickly walked over and jumped onto the mattress. She got to her feet and started jumping as high as she could. Her laughter bubbled out and with one last leap she folded her legs underneath her and landed on her butt.

A sound intruded on her fun and she looked up to see Ulquiorra standing in the doorway. His face was stoically set in the same frown that he always wore. For some reason Orihime found this hysterically funny and started laughing so hard she had to clutch her stomach while she rolled around the bed.

When she was finally able to get herself under control she looked back up and Ulquiorra was still standing in the same spot.

"What can I do for you Ulquiorra Cifer?" she giggled.

"Are you done with your human display?" he asked tonelessly.

"For the moment," she answered with a grin.

Ulquiorra didn't grin back. His green eyes showed nothing of what was going on inside his head as he said, "I came here to tell you the rules. You can wander Las Noches if you choose but do not leave the building. Do not go into the basement or the towers either."

"No problem," said Orihime who was smiling.

Ulquiorra looked at her for a moment before turning and walking out of the room.

Orihime watched him depart and noted the direction he walked in. 'He never said she couldn't go in his room,' she thought wickedly.

When Ulquiorra was gone, Orihime stood up and headed out of the room. She turned in the opposite direction from Ulquiorra and started exploring the dull white halls. She came upon several large rooms but none held anything of interest inside of them.

As it started to grow late, Orihime headed back to her room and fell asleep. For the first time in months she slept dreamlessly through the night.

Orihime knew the exact time when Ulquiorra used to stride into her bedroom with her breakfast in tow. Her eyes searched for any hint of his arrival but he never came. She should have figured he wouldn't come. She was no longer a prisoner who needed looking after.

She decided this morning to turn down the hallway in the direction Ulquiorra had gone the previous night. As luck would have it she found a kitchen along her way. The cabinets were stocked full of the dull food she remembered. She searched the room for anything that could spice it up but nothing was to be found. She contented herself with moosh and shoveled it down.

When she left the kitchen she started down the hallway in the direction she had been going before. As she turned a corner she was saw an open door at the end of the hall and walked towards it.

The room was almost an exact copy of hers. The only difference was the pile of books in the corner. She walked over to the closet and pulled open the door. Hanging were the familiar robes of her former prison guard.

Orihime smiled as she looked at the clothes. 'Ulquiorra's room.'

She left the room soon after and headed back to her own.

The rest of the morning was spent pacing her room. When evening came she decided to go searching.

Ulquiorra walked through hallway after hallway, lost in his own thoughts. He knew that the servant would be bringing him his evening meal soon so he headed back in that direction. On his way he decided to walk by the woman's room. When he turned in the entrance to her room, he found it empty.

'She must be exploring as well,' he thought.

He headed for his own room then and let his thoughts turn to the events of the other night. What had she meant by him haunting her? Did she think he was a ghost of some sort? She was a strange girl.

When he turned the corner into his room he expected to see the silver cart sitting in the center of the room but when he saw the woman there as well his eyes widen just slightly in shock.

"Hi Ulquiorra! What have you been up to all day? Don't you get bored here?" the woman asked.

"I see you have been exploring Las Noches. Your room is not as interesting as you remembered is it," Ulquiorra enquired.

"Yea I think you're right," she said. "Can I eat dinner with you?"

Ulquiorra looked at her and then turned his head disapprovingly to the side. "I do not eat with trash like you."

At first after his remark, Orihime felt upset and had to resist the urge to bolt from the room. A moment later though she straightened her shoulders and walked up to Ulquiorra, "I am not trash! You can think what you want but I know I am not trash. I feel more than you can ever possibly imagine feeling. Just because you find strength in your solitude and your cold words doesn't mean you are any better than me," Orihime huffed.

She stood face to face with him, silver eyes locked with green. Her hands balled into fists at her side and she leaned towards him again as she said, "And another th…" before she could finish she felt cool fingers touch her lips. She was so surprised by the gesture that she froze on the spot and looked up into the pale face above hers.

"Quiet woman."

At those words, Orihime nearly screamed in anger but instead launched herself at Ulquiorra. Her actions must have been such a surprise to him that she actually was able to knock him over in her surge. They toppled to the floor and Orihime landed on top of him with fists banging on his chest. Ulquiorra grabbed her fists and held his arms out to his side, pressing her hands to the floor. Orihime sat helplessly on top of Ulquiorra.

With heavy breaths Orihime glared into his eyes. 'Why did he get under her skin so easily?' Her eyes moved from his to the green tears that streaked down his face. 'Why did she want to touch those tears?' As her eyes traveled down she shifted her gaze slightly and looked at his lips; the same lips that had spoken such cruel words to her on so many occasions. They didn't look cruel now though.

Before Orihime knew what she was doing, her lips crushed down on top of his. Though his lips were cool she felt warmth traveled down her body. She waited for him to push her away but it never came. Instead she felt arms circle her back and her body thrown to the side while he rolled on top of her. His tongue pushed through her lips as his hands traveled down her body and grabbed the top of her shorts.

He broke the kiss just long enough to yank the shorts off of her legs and slide his body back on top of her. An instant later she felt something poking at her core, pressing through her feminine lips. His mouth captured hers again and he thrust fully inside her, breaking through her virginal barrier and taking her fully. She gasped from the pain that ripped inside of her.

He lay completely still over her while he lifted his head from hers and looked at her cringing face. When she opened her eyes she felt him move slowly inside of her. She let her muscles ease to lessen the pain and his slow movements began to feel more pleasurable than painful. His thrusts increased in speed and pretty soon she was panting through her mouth. Their bodies slapped together in a seductive rhythm that left Orihime whimpering in between thrusts.

Pretty soon Orihime could feel something inside of her building. She felt like her body was reaching for something but she didn't know what she was searching for. Each motion of his hips pushed her closer to this goal and before long her body spasmed out of control and she felt like every part of her was pulsing with a heightened sense of feeling. She hadn't noticed that her hands clutched the back of Ulquiorra's jacket and were nearly ripping the fabric in her pleasure.

Just a few moments later, Orihime felt Ulquiorra tense above her as one final thrust drove him over the edge to his own release. She felt the hot liquid spill over her insides and mix with her own juices to leak down the sides of her legs.

He pulled out shortly after and adjusted his clothing so that he looked like nothing had ever happened while he straightened up and walked out of the room. Orihime lay on the ground for many minutes while she let her breathing return to a normal pace. Her mind raced with what had just happened.

She had always imagined her first intimate encounter to be a romantic pairing filled with kissing and caressing. The man she had lain with would have been gentle and tender with her and she would have been completely in love with him. This was so far from her imaginings that she almost couldn't believe it had happened. Everything had been so quick and abrupt that her brain never had time to process anything fully. Apparently her body had though.

Her muscles felt like liquid as she tried to lift herself off the ground. She grabbed her shorts and pulled them back on before she walked over to the bed and sat on its edge. Her eyes looked blankly at her knees while her brain raced with confusion.

'How did this happen? She just had sex with Ulquiorra. She just had sex with the man that had held her captive for weeks… she had just had sex with a man whom she let walk away from her afterwards.'

Orihime shook her head to get rid of her thoughts. She lifted herself from the mattress and walked back to her room. Without bothering to change she crawled into bed and fell instantly to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Orihime wakes up the next morning after another restful nights sleep. She yawns happily and stretches her body out on the plush mattress. A few muscles that she didn't even know existed groaned in aggravation while she got herself up from the bed. The events of the previous evening came flooding back to her. The soreness between her legs was direct evidence of it.

She quickly straightened out the clothes she had fallen asleep in and looked around the bare white room; 'she doesn't want to be here,' she thought to herself.

When her stomach rumbled she decided to head to the kitchen down the hall. Same as her other meals, the food was tasteless and she hated every bite of it but shoveled it down anyway. She rinsed off her dishes and headed down the hallway with a grin stretching across her face.

When she approached Ulquiorra's doorway her stomach twisted in a strange way and her knees felt a little unsteady during the last few steps. When she peaked her head in her eyes darted around the room but came up disappointed… he wasn't there. Orihime straightened up and sighed, deciding to turn around.

A few hours went by as she traveled the hallways, again finding nothing very interesting. At a certain point she turns back and starts heading to her room. Her mind wanders back over the events of the previous night. She still couldn't believe what they had done. Almost more shocked by what HE had done. 'No emotions huh,' she thought to herself. 'We'll see about that.'

Not a minute later Orihime could hear footsteps down the hall and she froze. During the time she had been here she hadn't seen a single other soul walking through the hallways, not even the servants that she figured had to have a set of hallways of their own. When the steps grew closer around the bend, Orihime's skin prickled from anticipation and she watched as a white jacket and piercing green eyes appear before her.

Whether he had known she was there or not wasn't clear on his expressionless face. He looked at her as if he was totally disinterested with her presence but… he also didn't continue forward.

"Hi Ulquiorra," said Orihime while ringing her fingers behind her back.

"Woman," Ulquiorra replied.

Orihime grasped at things to say to keep him from leaving and asked quickly, "What are you doing?"

His stare was unchanging as he said, "It's none of your business what I am doing woman. You've wandered far this morning."

"Erm, yea I guess I have," she answered. "How many people still live in Las Noches?"

"A few but mostly just privaron espada who live on the far side of the palace. It would take a full day of walking to reach that end."

"Oh I see. Are you lonely?" She asked.

Ulquiorra stared at her and his eyes seemed to grow heavy in his face. "You ask strange questions woman."

Orihime felt bad for asking and tried to lighten the mood. "The food in this place is horrible. I used to think it was just bad because I was a prisoner but when I looked through the kitchen there's absolutely no spices or anything interesting. Do you like the food here?"

"I only eat to obtain the added amount of energy I need to sustain my body," Ulquiorra answered.

Orihime sighed, leaning her back against the wall and thought to herself, 'he talks so strangely.'

Her mind searched for something else to say but everything seemed silly or pointless. When her thoughts strayed to the previous evening, a blush rose up to her face and she nearly punched herself after she said, "I had fun last night."

Orihime's feet were ready to bolt down the hallway in embarrassment but she stopped when she watched him turn his body to fully look at her face. It was difficult but she somehow lifted her eyes to his. His body was completely still and she couldn't tell at all what he was thinking.

Suddenly Ulquiorra stepped forward and pressed his lips to hers. There was no gentleness in his kiss but an urgency built up inside of Orihime as her shoulders where pushed back against the wall. His hands grabbed her hips and lifted her up to allow her to wrap her legs around him.

To help support herself she placed her arms around his neck and kissed him back with as much enthusiasm as he was displaying. His tongue demanded entry and she eagerly allowed the intrusion. At the touch of his tongue against hers she moaned into his mouth and ran her fingers up the length of his neck and sifted into his midnight black hair.

Orihime felt disappointment when his fingers left her hips and pulled her legs down to stand on her own. It was only a momentary disappointment though as she felt his hands grab the elastic of her shorts and pull them roughly down her legs. When he straightened back up he slid his hands up the back of her legs and grabbed behind her knees to lift her legs back around his waist.

Within seconds his hard member was pushing for entrance. She waited for the ripping sensation that she had experienced the previous night but it never came. Instead she felt a pleasurable stretching as he seated himself deeply inside of her. When he started to move inside her she grabbed at his hair and tore her mouth from his to cry out in astonishment at the feeling.

He pressed her harder against the wall when he heard her cry out. His mind followed the path of her hands as they traveled from his hair, over his neck to the front of his jacket. He felt her fingers fumble with the zipper as she tried to undo it. When she was finally successful he let her run her hands inside his shirt and remove the garment. Her hands left tingling sensations as they passed over his skin.

When Ulquiorra started pumping quickly inside of her she removed her hands from his chest and grabbed roughly at the cool skin of his back. Her nails dug into the hard skin and she threw back her head as the same feeling that had left her breathless the night before overcame her again.

This time Ulquiorra was right there with her, grunting his release as he pushed one last time inside of her.

They stood there for a time, letting their bodies recover. Orihime took the opportunity to run her hands back through his hair and placed a few small kisses to his forehead. She loved the way his skin felt under her lips. She wished she could explore more of it.

Eventually Ulquiorra released his grip on her and let her legs slide to the floor. She felt another instant of pleasure as he pulled himself out of her and again, quickly adjusted his clothes. When he went to take a step back, Orihime's hands reached out and grabbed his shirt just below the collar. She pulled him forward and kissed him firmly on the lips. She lingered there for a few seconds before pulling back and smiling up at his shocked face.

Orihime bent over and pulled her shorts back up. She quickly turned and strode down the hall, a grin still spreading over her face.

Ulquiorra stood and watched the woman walk away. He couldn't tear his eyes from the sight of her curvaceous body as it seductively swished its way down the hall and turned around the corner to leave his sight. Finally he looked away from the empty hallway and turned to walk in the opposite direction. Just as he was taking his first step he heard, "Ulquiorra… why don't you come to my room this evening."

'What was he doing?' Ulquiorra thought a few hours later as he paced inside his room. The actions between himself and the woman could be explained simply enough; it was a natural physical response. Just because he had never felt any urges of that type before didn't mean anything.

What disturbed him though was the way his mind couldn't let go of it. His thoughts had been constantly battling to erase the memory of her soft body pressed against his. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't forget the sway of her hips as she walked away from him. The worst part though was how his body had reacted at her comment; 'Why don't you come to my room this evening.'

Ulquiorra shook his head again and stopped in the center of his room. He quickly exited and determinedly walked as far away as he could. He passed by room after room as he battled his thoughts, not paying much attention to where he was going. When his brain finally registered where he was he nearly froze in place. He was just a few yards away from the woman's room.

After a moments pause he turned to walk back in the direction he came when suddenly he heard, "Thanks for coming. I was hoping you could take me to the throne room. I've only been there once before and I haven't been able to find it in my wanderings. I'd really like to see it again."

Ulquiorra turned to stare at the girl who was now standing at his side looking up at him with a small smile on her face. He knew he had been caught retreating but she didn't make any mention of that fact.

"Aw come on Ulqui… it will be fun to go," whined Orihime as she grabbed the fabric of his shirt and tried in vane to pull him down the hallway with her.

'Fun… there was that word again,' he thought.

"Don't call me that," was all he said as he allowed himself to be tugged down the hall.

Ulquiorra lead the way to the throne room as Orihime chatted about random things. When they finally entered the large room Orihime squealed and ran up the stairs to stand in front of what was formerly Aizen's throne. She sank down into the cold seat and squealed again, letting a large grin spread across her face.

Orihime bounced her body in the chair and wiggled around till she was comfortable. She placed her elbow on the arm of the chair and rested her cheek on her fisted hand. She let a serious look settle over her face as she stared out at Ulquiorra who stood at the bottom of the stairs.

When recognition finally registered in Ulquiorra's mind he nearly burst out laughing before he was able to stop himself. Instead he turned his head away from the girl and sighed. The feeling had been so unexpected he had barely been able to realize it fast enough. He couldn't remember the last time he had laughed… had he ever?

"How did I do Ulqui?" Orihime asked as she picked her head back up from her hand.

"Don't call me that."

"Fine, Ulquiorra… did I look like Aizen?" Orihime questioned while standing up and walking back down the stairs.

"If Aizen had long hair and large breasts… possibly."

Orihime jumped in excitement off the last few stairs and skipped over to Ulquiorra's side. "Your turn."

He turned his face to look down at the woman as she pulled on his shirt sleeves. "No."

"Oh come on… you know you want to," she pleaded.

"Will you stop bugging me the rest of the night?" Ulquiorra asked.

Orihime thought hard on this and finally said, "Yes I promise."

Ulquiorra turned swiftly and took the stairs three at a time. He sat stiffly down and looked around the room coolly.

"I wish I had a camera," he heard Orihime say and then laugh.

He quickly rose out of the seat and glided back down the stairs. He didn't stop at the bottom but continued straight out the door and started walking down the hallway. Orihime ran to catch up.

When she was by his side she casually hooked her arm around his and tried to match her strides with his. He looked down at the woman and decided to ignore her as he walked steadily faster down the hall.

By the time they reached her doorway Orihime was nearly jogging to stay by his side. She smiled up at him when he stopped and released his arm. Ulquiorra's mouth almost dropped at the next thing she did.

He watched as she took a step backwards through her doorway and started unbuttoning the top button of her blouse. Her eyes watched his as she popped open another button revealing the ample cleavage beneath. When she got to the last button she stopped her feet and stood silently in the center of the room. Her hands grasped the edges of her shirt and pulled it slowly apart.

When her shirt was lying on the floor she moved her hands up her back and unlatched the hooks of her bra. She let the straps slide down her arms while her breasts freed themselves of the constricting fabric. As she took another step back she lifted her arm and motioned for him to join her with a quick movement of her finger.

Ulquiorra stared at the woman in front of him. His body was stuck between escaping as quickly as he could and leaping forward. Finally, his foot stepped forward. When her hand shot up motioning for him to stop he froze in place. She shook her head and started pretending to zip an invisible jacket on her.

He understood what she wanted and grabbed the zipper at the top of his jacket. While taking a step forward he slid the zipper down and let the jacket slide off his shoulders to the ground.

Orihime watched as he drew closer to her. Her eyes ran down the length of his chest and abdomen, following the path of his hands. When the jacket was finally off of him she let herself drink in the sight of his perfect skin. His broad shoulders heaved slowly up and down and his sculptured chest led the way to perfectly carved abs. The pants he wore rode low on his narrow hips and Orihime unconsciously licked her lips.

When she realized he had stopped she looked up and smiled seductively at him. 'He wanted to finish the game.'

She hooked her thumbs into the elastic of her shorts and slowly tugged them down over her thighs and slender calves. When she rose back up she stepped backwards out of her shorts and reached down again to grasp the sides of her panties. She pulled these down as well and took another step back until the back of her legs found the edge of the mattress. She stopped there and watched the man in front of her.

Ulquiorra pulled off the belt around his waist and let it fall to the floor. With another step he untied the knot behind his back and let the pants drop to the floor.

Orihime almost gasped when the full naked form of Ulquiorra stood in front of her. She felt heat rush her cheaks but she couldn't stop herself from looking at his nakedness. His body was perfect. The V that his shoulders and waist made only enhanced the line of muscles that angled towards his already hard member. His thighs were sleekly muscled and his calves looked rock hard.

Orihime lifted her eyes to his and felt her knees go weak beneath her. She caught herself in time but the motion caused his eyes to glance at her bobbing breasts. When his eyes lifted back up to stare into hers she groaned out loud and threw herself against him. Her mouth hungrily sought out his and her hands tried to touch every inch of skin within her reach. When she grasped his buttocks Ulquiorra lifted her off the ground and stepped forward, depositing her on to the bed. He lay his body over hers and thrust his tongue deeply into her mouth.

Slowly Orihime slid her body farther into the center of the mattress, never letting her mouth leave his. He followed her movements and sank his body onto hers when she lay still in the center of the large bed.

When Orihime felt him try to nudge her legs apart she broke her mouth from his and giggled. "Not so fast Ulqui… there's more I want to do to you first."

Ulquiorra just stared at her as she backed up and slid out from underneath him. When she got on her knees she pushed him over and laid him out on his back. She positioned herself at the top of his head and leaned forward to look at his face. From this angle his body was even more tantalizing. The smooth skin on his stomach rose and fell in a quick rhythm with his breathing.

Leaning forward Orihime brushed her lips against his. She let her tongue glide across his bottom lip and she gently sucked it into her mouth. Her fingers touched the tops of his shoulders and slowly inched farther and farther down till they were caressing the muscles of his chest. When her teeth grazed his lip and released it she heard his sudden intake of breath and grinned to herself.

She kissed the tip of his chin and rested her weight on her hands that were still kneading the muscles across his chest. Turning her head slightly she pressed her mouth against the side of his neck and licked the skin underneath. His skin tasted so good as she let her tongue move hungrily over him. When she found his collar bone she shifted her weight and moved her hands further down his body. She splayed her fingers over his tight stomach and relished in the smooth skin beneath. When she felt him shift beneath her she clenched her hands over his stomach and gasped aloud.

His mouth reached up and latched onto the hard nipple that swayed above him. His hand moved up and cupped both breasts while he sucked greedily on the hard tip.

Orihime threw back her head and pushed her breasts closer to his mouth. She felt her breath coming in raggedly as she opened up her clenched fists and placed the palms of her hands flat on his stomach.

Ulquiorra released one nipple and turned to suckle on the other one while his fingers gently played with the still wet nub in his other hand. When he heard her let out another long moan he released her nipples and started kissing the soft skin between them. His tongue trailed a path between her breasts and his hands moved up to grab her waist and bring more of her body over him.

Orihime took this opportunity to bend forward and make her own path down his stomach. Her tongue caressed every hard bump of his stomach and her fingers pressed into the flesh at his sides. She slid her body farther over him and when her breasts slid down his chest they both gasped.

With nervous fingers Orihime slowly slid her hands back up his hips and tentatively grasped his penis. When she heard his quick intake of breath she tested the power of her hands on him and wrapped the fingers of one hand around the hard shaft. She felt him tense beneath the hand that still lay over his stomach as she slowly ran her other hand up and down the entire length of him.

Orihime marveled at the velvet skin beneath her hand and increased the pressure of her grip. When a tiny drop of liquid seeped out of the tip she leaned forward and licked the spot with her tongue. The body beneath her bucked and grabbed her hips in his hands. She felt his lips press against the skin of her stomach and quickly trail down to the top of her feminine lips. When his tongue slipped out and slid down to the small nub between her thighs she cried out in pleasure. Her body instinctively pressed down against his hot mouth as he captured the hard nub of her clitoris between his lips. When he gently started to suck she leaned forward and placed her own lips around his pulsing shaft.

Ulquiorra moved his hand from the woman's waist to grab at her luscious buttocks. His mouth moved hungrily over her womanhood and he felt the muscles under his hands start to tense. When he heard her cry her release he sucked the tiny nub till her shudders slowed and her mouth started to move up and down his penis. She moved forward to suck more of him inside her and his hips pushed up towards her mouth. She pressed her mouth down until she could feel him pushing against the back of her throat then moaned as she slid him slowly out between her lips.

When her lips were on the tip of his shaft she felt a finger enter her and she pushed against it. She moved her lips over his penis again and started running her tongue up and down his entire length.

Suddenly, Ulquiorra wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him. He rolled over till she was on her back and he was lying over her. His legs nudged hers open and he entered her swiftly, causing her to cry out his name in pleasure.

Ulquiorra liked the sound of his name on her breathless lips and pushed deeper inside of her. His hips pumped quickly inside of her, eliciting tiny moans and gasps from the woman beneath him. When he felt her muscles that were wrapped around his arousal begin to tighten he pushed one last time and they both shattered in a cry of pure bliss.

When conscious thought returned to Orihime she let herself enjoy the feeling of his body lying on top of hers. She trailed a finger down the center of his back and noticed the sheen of sweat that covered his entire body. 'His skin might normally be cool to the touch but apparently even he could heat up quickly,' Orihime thought to herself with a wicked grin.

A moment later, Ulquiorra lifted his body from hers and rolled over onto his back. Orihime wasn't ready for him to leave so she covered his body with hers and kissed him lightly on the mouth. She continued to press quick kisses to his lips but soon found herself lingering over his lips. Her tongue slipped between his lips and slid over his. She felt his hands lift up from the mattress and grasp her hips gently.

Orihime lifted herself up on to her knees and elbows and continued to kiss him deeply. The fingers on her hips started to massage her skin and press upwards towards her rear. When his hands cupper her buttocks he pushed down with one hand and reached between their bodies with the other. She felt the tip of his penis slide between her feminine lips as the hand behind her continued to press her further down. When his length was nearly half way inside her she slid her hips the rest of the way down to take him fully inside her.

The moan that tried to escape was caught in his mouth and he released her lips from his. His hands moved her body so that she was sitting on top of him with his full length deep inside of her. She arched her head back and cautiously moved her hips over him. When his hands moved up to cup her breasts she sucked in a quick breath and pressed her hips down against him.

Ulquiorra watched as the woman grew bolder in her movements over him. Her plump breasts begged to be caressed as they bounced in front of him. When her head straightened and looked at Ulquiorra lying beneath her he could see her eyes turn to flames and when they captured his he couldn't contain the shudder of pleasure that shot through him.

He quickly lifted his back off the bed and wrapped his arms around her back. He shifted their position so that Orihime was leaning back in his arms as he drove into her with hard thrusts. Her juices spilled over him as he threw back his own head and cried out his release. He gathered her body to his and they both wrapped their arms around the other as they sat there falling back down to earth.

Neither moved for what seemed an eternity.

Finally, Orihime wiggled her way out of his grasp and watched Ulquiorra collapse back on the mattress. She giggled and lifted herself from his lap.

Ulquiorra didn't open his eyes when the woman got up and walked across the room. A few minutes later he heard her feet padding across the floor and then the mattress give when she crawled back on the bed. She pulled the sheet over their bodies and quickly fell asleep with her head on his shoulder.

The next morning Ulquiorra woke up and stared at the ceiling above him. Pressed against his side was the orange haired woman, breathing deeply in her sleep. The memories of the previous night flooded his brain and he felt his body tighten. Her hand at his side slid over his stomach to rest flatly over it.

He decided to slowly get out of bed and he gently extracted his body from hers. He watched as she rolled over and started breathing deeply again.

While Ulquiorra walked slowly back to his room he fought the thoughts that kept creeping into his brain. He didn't want to think about why he had done what he did last night.

A little while later, Orihime woke up to an empty bed and frowned. She should have figured he wouldn't stay the whole night but a part of her was disappointed. She got herself up and headed to the bathroom to wash up and change back into her several days old clothes.

When she came back into her room she looked around the place indifferently. She now knew that it hadn't been the room or the solitude she had missed so terribly before, it was him. She didn't understand why she felt this way but she was never one to analyze her feelings.

When she felt her tummy start to rumble she headed to the kitchen and got herself something to eat. While she was eating she made up her mind to go find Ulquiorra. She was ready to go back home.

When Orihime walked into Ulquiorra's room she found him shrugging into his white coat. He turned to look at her when she entered and Orihime simply said, "I'm ready to go back home now. Are you going to come with me?"

Ulquiorra looked at the girl and said coolly, "Why would I do that?"

Orihime looked back at him and said simply, "Because you want to."

**Reviews much appreciated!**


	4. Chapter 4

**In the spirit of Chapter 500 in the manga… I hope you enjoy this turn of events.**

Chapter 4

Orihime watched as Ulquiorra created the garganta and started walking forward to pass through. She turned one last time to look at Ulquiorra to see if he was going to come and sighed. His face was the same emotionless statue she had gotten used to. He wouldn't be coming.

As the woman passed through, Ulquiorra turned when he heard footsteps enter his room.

"I always knew you were a moron," said a familiar voice.

Ulquiorra watched as Grimmjow walked by him and slipped through the garganta. He was a bit surprised by his appearance but closed the garganta behind him and turned to step out of his room. 'Finally alone, I should be pleased shouldn't I?'

When Orihime heard someone behind her entering her room she smiled and turned her head, "I'm glad you came Ulqui…. Grimmjow! What are you doing here? I thought you were dead."

Grimmjow grinned at the girl and said, "Pfft… that spoon faced bastard couldn't kill me."

"Well, I'm glad you are ok. But… what are you doing here?" Orihime asked.

"It's boring as hell in Las Noches. I saw that idiot decide to stay there so I figured I would come myself. What is there to do here?" Grimmjow asked.

Orihime scratched her head and said, "Well, I'm not sure. It depends what you like to do." She looked around her room and walked over to her door, opening it. "I'm gonna go make something to eat. Your food stinks in Las Noches."

Grimmjow grunted and followed her out of the room, "You're tellin' me. I've had to eat that shit for months."

Orihime was nervous having Grimmjow following her around. She walked into her kitchen and started rummaging through her cabinets. She was disappointed when she couldn't find all the ingredients she was looking for. Turning to Grimmjow she asked, "Do you want to come with me to the market? I need to get a few things."

"Eh… sure," he replied.

Orihime grabbed her bag that was hanging on the wall and threw it around her neck and shoulder. "Alright, let's go!"

Grimmjow followed Orihime as she left her apartment and started walking down the street. He looked over at the girl walking by his side and thought, 'Ulquiorra really is stupid.'

They walked down the street and Orihime pointed out things of interest as they passed by them. When they got to the market she started picking up armfuls of fruits and vegetables. After she had gotten everything she needed they headed over to the vendor and the man stared at her as if she was insane. She didn't think the selection of food was that weird? Plus, how did he know that she was going to cook them all together?

Then she realized she had been talking to Grimmjow the whole time she had been picking things out and of course the shop owner couldn't see him.

"What's that mans problem?" asked Grimmjow.

Orihime giggled and said, "He can't see you, remember?"

Grimmjow grunted and said, "That's right. Pathetic humans."

They walked back towards her house when suddenly Orihime stopped and turned to ask Grimmjow, "I might be able to convince Urahara-san to loan you a gigai while you are here if you want? Then at least people could see you besides me and maybe a few others."

"What's a gigai?" he asked.

"It's some weird body thing that Rukia and the rest of them use when they come down here. It gives them a human form."

"Who's this Urahara? Is he a soul reaper too or just a weird human like you who can see spirits?" asked Grimmjow as he stood looking at her with his hands placed deep in his pockets.

"He used to be a Captain in the 13 Court Guard Squads. Something happened and now he lives down here. He's a really nice guy. I'm sure he would help you out if you promised to be good," Orihime smiled up at Grimmjow and started pulling him along with her free hand.

"Sure, why not? It will probably get annoying sooner or later not being able to be seen by anyone."

When they got to Urahara's shop, Orihime smiled and waved at Urahara as they entered.

"Seems like you got to Hueco Mundo without my help Orihime-chan," Urahara said with his arms folded across his chest and a smile stretched across his face.

"Yes sir. I hope you are not upset with me."

"Of course not. What can I do for you and your blue haired friend?" Urahara asked.

Orihime bit her lip as she asked, "Umm… we were hoping you might lend us a gigai. He wants to stay for a little while and it's kind of a hassle that no one can see him."

"Sure, right this way," said Urahara as he turned and headed towards the back of the shop.

When Grimmjow had changed into his gigai and Orihime and him had said their goodbye's to Urahara, the two walked down the street towards her apartment. Orihime was a bit shocked by Grimmjow's appearance in the gigai. He was as big and tall as he normally was but the sight of his face without the hollow mask and the blue tattoos around his eyes made him startlingly human. Urahara had lent him a pair of pants and shirt which looked a bit silly on him but they worked for now.

"We're gonna have to go shopping for some more clothes for you. You're much too big to fit into my brothers' old clothes. " said Orihime to Grimmjow.

Grimmjow turned his head to look down at her and asked, "Does your brother live with you?"

"No, he passed away a few years ago. I'll show you a picture of him when we get back home."

"So you have no family left?" Grimmjow asked.

Orihime stared at the ground passing beneath her feet as she answered, "My parents were not very nice people and my brother saved me from them and raised me. When he passed away I was alone. I have an aunt though who sends me money so that I can still live here as long as I keep my grades up."

They walked through the door into her apartment as she continued, "I have lots of great friends though that make up for it all. I would do anything for them."

Grimmjow thought about this and realized this had been her reason for sacrificing herself and going willingly with Ulquiorra to Las Noches. Irritably he started to feel a little respect for the woman.

As they passed into her kitchen Orihime started pulling items out of her bag and slicing them up. She passed a knife over to Grimmjow and said, "Here, can you start chopping up these carrots?"

Grimmjow looked at the small knife in his hand and grinned, "Can't I have something bigger?"

"You don't need a zanpukto to cut up veggies," Orihime said while placing two large carrots on the counter in front of Grimmjow.

He dutifully chopped them up and slid the pieces into the bowl Orihime slid over to him. They busied themselves pealing and cutting for a while until everything in her bag was laid out in over a dozen different bowls and plates. Orihime placed them all on a large tray and picked it up.

"Let's eat!" she said while laying the tray on the table in the center of her room.

They both knelt down and Grimmjow lowered his hand to pick up a slice of orange. Orihime quickly interrupted his hand as he lifted the slice to his lips, "No, you have to combine it with something first. Try it with this," she said while handing him a slice of cucumber.

Grimmjow pushed the two pieces into his mouth and didn't event try to contain the horrible face that he made as he swallowed the bit of food.

"Aw you don't like it. No one ever likes my combinations," she said while picking up her own creation and popping it into her mouth. She moaned as she chewed on the food then smiled as she looked at his grossed out face. "Eat whatever you want."

Grimmjow started grabbing one piece of food at a time and eating them separately as he accustomed himself to the taste of human food. He found that he liked the things the woman had called kiwi so he ate those the most. When they were finished he helped her cleaned the dishes and then groaned, "This body sucks. It's already running low on energy."

Orihime laughed and said, "That's only because you just ate. Lots of people get tired after eating. I've learned that if you go out and do something right after a meal you feel much more energized. Let's go to the park."

Grabbing her keys, Orihime skipped over to the door and started to leave. When Grimmjow didn't follow her she stopped and looked back, "Come on! You'll feel fine in a few minutes."

Grimmjow doubted it but followed her anyway. He listened as she spoke about her friends and school. When she mentioned Ichigo his ears perked up.

"So that orange haired dweeb goes to school with you. I'll have to pay him a visit someday," said Grimmjow as they entered the park and Orihime took a seat on a swing.

Orihime looked over at Grimmjow who stood a few feet in front of her. "That's probably not a good idea. You guys don't have the best of relationships."

"Don't worry Princess, I won't hurt him."

Orihime smiled warily and then said, "Can you move Grimm… I can't swing with you standing in front of me. Why don't you take the swing next to me here? It's really fun."

Grimmjow stepped to the side and gingerly took a seat on the rubber strip as it swung beneath him slightly. He watched as the woman beside him pushed off with her feet and started swinging herself back and forth till she was nearly parallel with the bar that held the chains of the swing. He tried to mimic her actions and soon found himself flying as high as her.

Orihime turned her head to look at Grimmjow as he swung next to her. She had always enjoyed swinging though most of her friends just thought she was silly to do something so childish at her age. Grimmjow seemed to be enjoying himself though so she laughed and said, "See, I bet you aren't tired anymore."

He grunted next to her and continued to swing.

A few minutes later Orihime heard a familiar voice coming from her right and looked to see Yuzu running towards the park. Behind her was Karin who moved at a sedated pace behind with Ichigo at her side.

Before she could jump off the swing and urge Grimmjow to leave she saw him turn his head and grin wickedly.

Ichigo turned at the exact same moment and stopped dead in his tracks. Orihime could hear Ichigo mutter, "what the…" then she watched as he fell to the floor grabbing his stomach and laughing so hard he was nearly in tears.

She walked over to his hysterical form lying on the ground and stared down at him until his fit ended. By then, Grimmjow was beside her, staring down at him as well.

"What's so funny Ichigo Kurosaki?" Grimmjow asked.

Ichigo sat up and pointed towards the swing set. "So… so when you aren't busy fighting people you spend your days swinging on a swing set like a 5 year old?" Ichigo said as another bout of laughter erupted from his mouth.

Orihime couldn't help herself and laughed as well at the image Ichigo created.

Yuzu came over to the small group and started pulling on Ichigo's sleeve. "Come on Onii-chan. You promised you'd play with me." When Ichigo didn't budge she looked over in the direction he was looking and said, "Hi. My name is Yuzu. I like your hair…. Hi Inoue-san."

"Hello!" cried Orihime.

Grimmjow smirked at the little girl and grabbed the orange ball from her hands. Giggling, Yuzu ran about 30 yards away and threw her hands up in the air when Grimmjow kicked the ball in her direction. Ichigo and Orihime both looked on in stunned silence.

Finally Ichigo said, "I think I got hit on the head too many times. My sister can't possibly be playing catch with Grimmjow. What's going on here anyway Inoue? Why is Grimmjow with you?"

"Well, you know how I haven't been quite myself lately? I decided to go back to Las Noches the other day to see if that would help. When I asked Urahara to help me he said he couldn't but then Ulquiorra showed up and took me back with him." Orihime stopped at the expression of horror that crept over Ichigo's face.

"Ulquiorra… he's still alive?" Ichigo asked.

"Yea, I guess he regenerated."

"Err… ok, so how did this guy get here?" continued Ichigo.

"Well, I spent a few days in Las Noches and when Ulquiorra opened a garganta back up for me to leave, when I passed through Grimmjow was behind me. He was bored I guess." Orihime laughed nervously at the end, worried that Ichigo would be upset with her.

Ichigo turned and looked down at her seriously, "Are you ok now? We've all been worried about you. Did your trip back help?"

She turned her head to watch Yuzu, Karin and Grimmjow playing ball but her eyes grew distant. "I'm not sure. Something still feels unfinished if that makes any sense."

Ichigo grunted and turned to watch the three playing as well. "Next time you decide to go somewhere like that, please tell me first. I would have gone back with you."

They stood together in silence for a while, watching as Grimmjow played so patiently with Ichigo's sisters. Both couldn't help but laugh when Grimmjow picked up Yuzu under his arm to stop her from reaching the ball and Karin jumped on his back and started pounding his head.

"Hey! Over here Grimmjow!" shouted Ichigo as he ran forward, waving his arms to get Grimmjows attention so he would kick the ball to him.

Orihime watched as the foursome played together. She could tell that the girls were having a blast, basking in the attention they were getting from their big brother. Why couldn't she feel just a little bit of their happiness?

Green eyes blazed themselves across her mind. 'What did he do to me? Why can't I stop thinking about him?' she thought to herself.

The sun started to slowly sink down in the distance and she watched as the foursome walked over to her. They all had large smiles on their faces and Orihime smiled in return. Together the group headed out of the park and broke apart once they reached the street. They said their goodbyes and Orihime and Grimmjow headed back to her place.

"That orange haired kid isn't so bad when I'm not trying to kill him," Grimmjow said as they entered her apartment.

Orihime laughed and said, "Maybe you should stop trying to kill him then."

Grimmjow grunted and plopped down on her sofa. "I'm hungry again. Got anything left to eat?"

"I'm not really hungry but you can go ahead and grab whatever you want."

Grimmjow stood up and grabbed a few things out of the fridge. He stood at the counter eating an apple and looked at Orihime. "So what's up with you? Why were you in Las Noches with that scumbag Ulquiorra?"

Orihime was taken aback by his question and stumbled to say, "I… I don't know. I haven't been myself since all that happened and I felt like maybe if I went back I would be able to snap out of it. Ulquiorra just happened to be the one that took me back."

She heard him let out an exasperated sigh and crunch into his apple again. Before he finished chewing the bite he said, "That guys a moron."

Grimmjow took a seat on the sofa again and looked up at Orihime who was standing motionless in the center of the room. She looked so vulnerable to him. He motioned with his free hand for her to take a seat next to him and watched as she did so.

"Don't worry Princess. He may be a moron but he's a smart moron. He'll figure it out soon enough," Grimmjow said as he threw a comforting arm around her shoulders.

'Figure what out?' Orihime wondered. 'Why was Grimmjow trying to comfort her?' At the moment though she didn't really care and she leaned into his side, letting a few tears roll down her cheeks. She didn't know what she was crying about this time but it felt good to cry them with someone for once.

After a few minutes Orihime got up from the couch and opened a closet down the hallway to get some sheets and blankets for Grimmjow. She brought them back into the living room and started making a bed for him. When she was finished she turned and started heading back to her room.

"Good night Grimmjow. I hope you had a nice time today. Thank you for the shoulder," and she vanished down the hall and into her room.

Once in her room, Orihime changed into her pajama's and crawled into her own bed. She lay awake for a while, thinking about the events of the day but inevitably her thoughts returned to the green eyes that were still back in Las Noches. She wondered what he was doing. Little did she know that later that night while she slept restlessly in her bed, a visitor watched her with sad eyes.

**I know this chapter was a little slow but I promise it will pick up again. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The next morning, Orihime woke herself up with a scream. Sweat covered her body and the sound of her ragged breathing filled the small room. A moment later Grimmjow banged on her door and burst through. When he saw that no one besides her was in the room he scratched his head and looked at her.

"What happened?" he asked.

"N.. nothing. I'm sorry. I was having a bad dream. Go back to bed Grimmjow. I'll be fine," Orihime said and watched him shrug his shoulders and walk back out of her room.

Orihime lay in bed and stared up at her ceiling. The dream was back only it was different now. Instead of hands reaching out for each other, Orihime was running towards Ulquiorra's crumbling figure and he was laughing at her.

After an hour of tossing and turning, Orihime gave up trying to find sleep and got herself out of bed. She took a shower and changed then walked out into the living room where Grimmjow still lay on the couch sleeping. She laughed quietly at the position he was in. He had one leg thrown over the back of the couch and the other was hanging off the side to rest on the floor. The blanket was only covering a small portion of his body and acted more like a belt than a cover. He looked like a completely different person laying there compared to the person whose arm she had healed upon first entering Las Noches.

She decided to let him sleep and busied herself making breakfast for them both as quietly as she could.

"Mmmm what's that?"

Grimmjow was getting himself up from the couch, yawning and stretching. He still wore the pants from yesterday but he had taken his shirt off before going to sleep. His muscles pulled tightly over his chest as he stretched his arms behind his back. He was quite an impressive figure Orihime observed.

In answer to Grimmjow's earlier question, Orihime replied "I'm making breakfast."

With his usual saunter Grimmjow walked into the kitchen and inhaled deeply. "It smells so good."

Grimmjow stood by the counter and lazily scratched his stomach while he watched Orihime pile two plates with food. When they were finished eating and cleaning up, Orihime said, "We gotta go do some clothes shopping today for you."

Looking over at Grimmjow, Orihime didn't think he seemed thrilled by the prospect but it had to be done. He couldn't wear the same thing every single day for however long he decided to stay.

They left her apartment soon after and headed towards the shopping district. When they entered into a large department store they went straight to the men's department where Orihime loaded Grimmjow's arms with clothes. He tried on everything she passed his way and by the end of the trip he was holding three bags of human clothes.

Orihime was very satisfied with the deals they had gotten. Over the past year she had been so busy with trips to the soul society and her depression that she had saved up quite a bit of money.

When they got home, Orihime pushed Grimmjow into the bathroom and ordered him to take a shower and change. He emerged a little bit later in a white t-shirt with a green zip up hooded shirt over it and jeans.

"You look great Grimm," said Orihime as she bounced off of the couch and skipped over to him. "So what do you want to do for the rest of the day? It's Saturday so everything should be open."

"What do you normally do?" Grimmjow asked.

"Well, I used to go with Tatsuki to the beach during my spring break but it's been a bit… different this year," Orihime said while looking up at Grimmjow and biting her lip. "We could go…" suddenly outside they could hear a few pings on the window and Orihime turned to look out, "Oh man it's raining."

Orihime looked out through the window sullenly then perked up as she said, "Let's play board games!"

Grimmjow watched as the woman walked across the room and opened the closet door. When she emerged from the small closet she had an armful of boxes that looked about ready to topple over stacked up higher than her head. He walked over and grabbed a few of the top boxes from her and followed as she dropped them in the middle of the room.

The rest of the afternoon went by quickly as Orihime taught Grimmjow how to play almost a dozen different board games. When evening came she popped a movie into the TV and they both sat down on the couch to watch. Orihime had enjoyed the day with Grimmjow. His sarcastic sense of humor would catch her by surprise sometimes but by the end of the day she was able to figure out when he was joking about something. She felt more comfortable with him than she had thought possible given their circumstance.

Half way through the movie, Orihime got up and made some popcorn for them both to enjoy. She sat down with the bowl in her lap and told Grimmjow to take a handful and try to throw a piece into her mouth. When the first piece bounced off her forehead they both laughed and they continued to try until finally Orihime caught a piece in her mouth and she grinned while swallowing it down.

Now it was Grimmjow's turn to try to catch a piece and Orihime laughed when Grimmjow nearly fell off the couch trying to snatch a piece that was poorly aimed. Orihime grabbed his shirt as he was about to fall over and they were both laughing when they heard footsteps in the hallway. They both turned and looked when suddenly Ulquiorra appeared around the corner.

Orihime and Grimmjow both froze in place when they saw him and the first to speak was Orihime who said, "Ulquiorra… what are you doing here?"

She quickly let go of the handful of Grimmjow's shirt and stood up like she had just been caught doing something wrong.

Ulquiorra just stood and looked at the scene in front of him. He watched as the woman slowly approached him, her eyes weary and her hands playing with the hem of her shirt. 'She was nervous,' he thought.

Before she was able to cross half the distance to him, Ulquiorra turned and quickly walked back down the hallway. Orihime followed behind but when she got to her bedroom, he was gone. She stared at the empty space in front of her and sighed.

A moment later, Grimmjow entered the room and looked at her dejected form standing in the center of the room. He reached out a hand and placed it gently on her shoulder as he said, "If you want to follow him I can bring this gigai back and open a garganta for you."

Orihime turned slowly to look up at Grimmjow's teal eyes and said, "No, that's ok. He obviously doesn't want to see me anyway." A tear escaped to fall down Orihime's cheek and Grimmjow wrapped his arms around the girl he had come to care for. He hated to see her upset and his hatred for Ulquiorra grew to an even greater extent.

When she seemed to finally settle down, Grimmjow turned her and they exited her room and headed back to the living room to finish watching the movie. The atmosphere from earlier was completely gone though so they sat in silence while the movie concluded.

Back in Las Noches, Ulquiorra paced the hallways while cursing himself for even thinking about going back to see that woman. 'What had possessed him to go there in the first place?' he thought.

The memory of seeing the woman sitting so comfortably with Grimmjow made his fists clench at his sides. 'Why did it bother him so much?'

Ulquiorra allowed himself to walk restlessly for a few hours while his brain ran over the short scene time and time again. When he found himself standing inside the woman's old room, staring at the bed he decided to go one last time to see her.

When Ulquiorra walked through his garganta, he found Orihime lying on her bed like the previous night. Her body was twisted in the sheets and a frown was visible on her face. He walked to the side of the bed and stared at the woman. She looked so delicate lying before him but he knew she wasn't. She had proven herself time and time again to be much stronger than the image she put off to her human friends.

Ulquiorra reached his hand down and stroked his pale fingers down her cheek. He felt her shift and he quickly drew his hand back. When a soft sigh escaped her lips his gaze moved over to her slightly parted lips and he wanted more than anything to press his lips against hers again.

Instead though, he straightened up and backed away from the bed. He left quietly and returned to his room in Las Noches.

Ulquiorra didn't sleep that night.

The next morning, Orihime woke up and smiled at the sun streaming through her window. She had slept later this morning. When she walked out to the living room and saw Grimmjow still asleep on the couch, she ran over and knelt beside him. She pushed at his shoulders until he mumbled, "Leave me alone. I don't wanna get up yet."

Orihime giggled and swatted his behind when he rolled his body away to face the back of the couch. "Come on! It's late. We're going to miss a beautiful day."

Just then, a knock came from the door and Orihime turned to see Tatsuki let herself in. Orihime jumped up from the ground and ran to Tatsuki, throwing her arms around her best friend.

Tatsuki seemed alarmed at first by Orihime's extravagant display but returned the hug with affection. When they broke apart, Orihime watched Tatsuki's eyes dart over to the couch and widen in alarm.

"Who's that?" she asked.

Grimmjow was slowly sitting up on the couch and looked over at the two women. His shirt was missing and his pajama pants rode low on his hips as he stood and stretched his hands toward the ceiling. Apparently modesty had no affect on the man.

Orihime watched as her best friends face flushed in embarrassment. "Erm, Tatsuki… this is my friend Grimmjow."

Grimmjow yawned as he walked over and greeted a still red faced Tatsuki.

"When did you get back from vacation Tatsuki?" asked Orihime as she walked into the kitchen and started throwing together their breakfast.

"We got back late last night. I thought I would come over this morning and see if you wanted to do something today," Tatsuki answered.

"Sure, we'd love to. What did you have in mind?" asked Orihime.

Tatsuki noted the 'we' and assumed she meant herself and the blue haired stud who was currently dragging his feet down the hallway to the bathroom. When the door was closed behind him Tatsuki exclaimed, "Oh my God Orihime! That guy is insanely gorgeous. What the hell are you doing letting him sleep here alone with you?"

Orihime turned to look at her friend and laughed nervously as she said, "Well, he needed a place to stay and I don't think of him like that so it's ok. And I think he thinks of me like a sister sorta."

Tatsuki just shook her head and took a seat on a nearby stool while she watched Orihime finish making breakfast.

When Grimmjow emerged from the bathroom in fresh new clothes, Tatsuki noticed the price tag hanging off the side of his pants. Orihime seemed to notice it as well and casually walked over and tore the tag from his side. Grimmjow grinned and thanked her for her assistance.

"So uhh, Orihime… what do you think of going to the beach this afternoon?" Tatsuki asked.

"That sounds great Tatsuki!" exclaimed Orihime while she shoveled down her breakfast. In between bites she turned to Grimmjow and said, "I'm glad we decided to get you a suit yesterday at the shop."

When they were finished eating, Orihime skipped over to Grimmjow's pile of clothes and grabbed the charcoal colored shorts with blue flowers and threw them at Grimmjow who handily caught them and headed for the bathroom. Orihime continued to her room and changed into her own bathing suit before grabbing a few towels and marching back out to the living room. A moment later, Grimmjow exited the bathroom and Tatsuki groaned… 'This is going to be bad,' she thought.

The three left Orihime's place loaded with towels and a cooler full of drinks and sliced fruit. When they got to the beach, Orihime could see a bunch of her friends from school already sitting out in the sun. When they made their way to their location, the girls all stopped what they were doing and stared at the man standing next to Orihime. Some of the girls openly gawked at him while the rest fidgeted nervously.

"Hi guys!" said Orihime while she laid out a blanket and started taking off her sundress. When she didn't hear a single reply she looked over at her friends and saw that they were all watching as Grimmjow lifted his t-shirt over his head and threw it down on the blanket. He placed his hands on his naked hips and smiled over at Orihime.

"So are we going in?" he asked.

Orihime smiled and started running to the water while the drooling girls were left behind. Grimmjow quickly caught up with Orihime before she reached the water and grabbed her, throwing her over his shoulder and splashing into the water. When the water got too deep to run in, Grimmjow dove forward, throwing Orihime into the water in front of him.

Tatsuki was the first person to enter the water behind the two and swam out to Orihime's side. They both turned to watch the rest of their classmates start climbing over each other to get to the water first.

When her and Grimmjow had finally left the water and started walking towards their towels, Orihime laughed as her friends all nearly fainted when Grimmjow adjusted his swim trunks on his hips and ran a hand through his messy blue hair while he stepped onto the hot sand.

They spent the rest of the afternoon at the beach. Orihime realized that this had been one of the best afternoon's she had had in a while. She had almost been able to make it more than 5 minutes at a time without thinking about Ulquiorra.

At home, Orihime threw her towels and blanket into the hamper and turned to Grimmjow to ask, "Do you want to take a shower?"

At his nod she grabbed a clean towel and threw it at his chest. He grabbed the towel and strode into the bathroom. When the door was closed behind him, Orihime walked into her own bedroom to change but stopped dead in her tracks when she looked up. Standing in the center of her room was Ulquiorra, staring at her with those familiar green orbs.

Before she could utter a word, Ulquiorra crushed her against the door, pressing his lips hungrily to hers as his hands ran up the length of her sides. Orihime was so stunned she almost didn't respond before she felt him back away. As soon as his body left hers she flung herself forward and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Ulquiorra seemed to need no other motivation and started kissing her back, slanting his mouth over hers and sliding his tongue between her lips. His fingers dug greedily into her back and he cursed at the fabric that was in the way.

Orihime quickly grabbed the hem of her dress and threw it over her head to let it fall to the floor. She stood back and watched as Ulquiorra's eyes swept over her bikini clad body before he grabbed her hips and pressed himself against her. They both seemed to want the same thing as they both reached their hands up to unzip his jacket. He quickly rid himself of the thing and sighed when his skin felt hers pressed against him.

Hastily, Orihime untied the strings around her neck and back to let the top of her suit fall to the floor. The strings of her bottom came soon after and Ulquiorra backed up a step to look at her completely naked form. Orihime thought it completely unfair that he still had pants on so she took a step forward and started grabbing at the fabric around his waist. She didn't know how to undo his pants but luckily they were loose enough that she was able to push them down over his hips.

Ulquiorra didn't give her a chance to appreciate the view as he stepped forward and picked up Orihime and dropped her to her bed. An instant later his body was pressing against hers and their lips were locked in a heated kiss. Their hands were everywhere as they tried to drink in as much of the other person's body as possible. When Orihime's legs parted slightly, Ulquiorra pushed his narrow hips in the small space and demanded her legs part wider for him.

A moment later, Orihime felt the tip of his shaft poking her entrance as she bent her knees and pressed her hands against his hips. He entered her swiftly, eliciting a cry of pleasure from her lips. Their bodies fell into a heart pounding rhythm as each sought the release they both craved. When they cried out together, Ulquiorra let his head rest on the woman's shoulder, careful not to let the side where his helmet was to touch her face. He could feel the woman's heart beating furiously beneath him and knew his own heart matched hers.

With a sigh, Orihime opened her eyes and looked at the magnificent pale skin of his shoulder. She pressed a quick kiss to that skin and licked the same spot.

Ulquiorra groaned and lifted his head to look down at the woman. Her startling grey eyes stared back into his and he felt himself grow hard inside her again.

Orihime felt him coming back alive inside her and closed her eyes while she arched her back to take more of him inside her. The sight she created drove Ulquiorra crazy. His mouth dropped down and started sucking greedily at her neck as he pushed deeper and deeper inside her. When she cried out her release yet again, Ulquiorra bit down into the flesh above her collarbone and let his own release flood out of him.

This time, Ulquiorra sat back and let his breathing slow down as he watched her chest rise and fall rapidly in front of him on the bed. When she opened her eyes again, he was staring at her. She tried to smile but it didn't quite seem to reach her lips before he said, "I don't know what's happening to me."

Orihime turned her head in a questioning gesture before reaching a hand up and cupping his cheek. He looked at her with sorrowful eyes and watched as the sweetest smile he had ever seen spread across her face.

The sound of a door opening and closing down the hall made both of them snap out of the haze they had been in. Ulquiorra quickly grabbed his clothes and started throwing them on while Orihime did the same. When they were both fully clothed, Orihime walked over to Ulquiorra and hugged her arms around his waist. Ulquiorra stood stiffly in her arms for a moment but then relaxed to place his own around the woman's shoulders.

As he backed away and opened a garganta, he looked back at the woman with a look of barely suppressed wanting.

"Let me know when you figure it out Ulquiorra," Orihime said as he stepped through and back to Las Noches.

Orihime watched the garganta close and stood for a while, looking at her now empty room. When her brain ran over the events of the past few minutes, she smiled to herself and lightness seemed to fill her. 'He was just as confused as her,' she thought.

Smiling, Orihime left her bedroom and walked out to the kitchen where Grimmjow was already preparing their dinner.

"Oh I'm sorry Grimmjow. I was supposed to do that," she said as she skipped to his side and started pealing.

She seemed to be fidgeting nervously next to him and he looked down at her as she grabbed another ear of corn. Immediately his eyes saw the mark on her neck and he grinned to himself. 'Someone had had a visitor.'

In Las Noches, Ulquiorra lay on his bed and stared at the blank ceiling above him. His thoughts warred within his brain. 'How did he let this happen? Why couldn't he keep himself away from that woman? Why did it bother him so much that Grimmjow was there?'

He knew he wouldn't get any rest again this night so he got himself up from the bed and started pacing the hallways in his now familiar route. When an unbidden image of Grimmjow caressing the woman's skin entered his thoughts, he punched the wall, leaving a huge hole in the white plaster.

Later that night, Orihime and Grimmjow sat down to play a card game in the center of the living room. When Orihime was done dealing out the cards, Grimmjow asked, "So what are we doing tomorrow?"

Orihime looked up said, "Well tomorrow I have to go to school. I should be back around 3 in the afternoon. You don't have to wait for me or anything. You can do whatever you want."

"Will Ichigo be at school too?" he asked.

"Well yea I think so," she answered.

"Hmm… ok," was all he said.

The next morning, Orihime got up and started getting ready for school. When she walked into the living area, Grimmjow was already up and dressed.

"Good Morning!" Orihime said with a happy smile.

"Mornin'"

"What do you have planned today Grimm?" Orihime asked as she grabbed her books and started for the door.

"I thought I'd walk with you to school. I don't know about after yet," Grimmjow answered while opening the door for her and closing it behind them both.

When they got to school, Grimmjow walked with her until she was nearly at her classroom. She knew he was looking for Ichigo but why she had no idea. Upon inspection of the room, Orihime saw Ichigo sitting in his normal seat and she called out to him, "Hey Kurosaki-kun! Grimmjow's here and wants to say hi." Behind her she heard Grimmjow grunt in exasperation as Ichigo got up from his seat and headed for the doorway.

"Hey guys! What's up?" Ichigo asked.

"Erm, hey Ichigo," was Grimmjow's only reply.

Ichigo looked over at Grimmjow and shrugged then turned to Orihime, "How are things Inoue? Are you feeling any better/"

"Oh yes! I'm feeling much better. Grimm and I went to the beach yesterday and we had a blast! You should come next time."

After a few moments and Grimmjow still didn't say a word, Ichigo said "Umm, ok.. well I better get back to my seat before class starts. If you remember what you wanted to say to me Grimm let me know."

As Ichigo turned to leave, Grimmjow finally said "Wait, Ichigo… Umm, are your sister's at school today too?"

Ichigo turned back and said, "Yea they still go to middle school though which is down the street."

"Do you think we could go to the park again when you are done with class? I promised Yuzu I would play catch with her again," asked Grimmjow who couldn't quite let his eyes look at Ichigo.

Ichigo looked at Grimmjow questioningly and finally said, "Yea sure. They will love that." Ichigo turned back to his classroom and shouted on his way to his seat, "Cya later Grimm."

Orihime turned to Grimmjow and asked, "Will you be able to find your way back to my place?"

Grimmjow grunted but he had a smile on his face as he said, "Yea it shouldn't be a problem."

When school ended, Orihime left the building and saw Grimmjow waiting outside for her. She hurried over to him and smiled, "How was your day?"

"Eh, it was ok. Are we still going to the park this evening?" Grimmjow asked.

"Umm, I think so. Hold on," said Orihime who turned and screamed across the parking lot. "Kurosaki-kun, are we still going?"

Grimmjow looked over in the direction Orihime had yelled and watched as Ichigo came walking over.

"Yea, we'll be there. I just have to do a few chores at home first. We'll meet you there in about an hour?" Ichigo asked the two of them.

Orihime smiled and said, "Great!"

As Orihime walked back to her place with Grimmjow, she thought back on her day at school and sighed. She was glad it was over. The day had gone by agonizingly slowly. As hard as she tried to focus on the lectures her thoughts would not leave the memories of Ulquiorra. On more occasions than she could count, either Tatsuki or Ichigo had had to nudge her to attention when the teacher was calling on her in class.

When they arrived at her place, Orihime went to her room and changed out of her school uniform. She threw the dirty clothes into her hamper and walked back out to the living room where Grimmjow waited.

"Did you want to grab something to eat before we left?" Orihime asked.

"I'm good. I made myself something a little while ago," Grimmjow answered.

While Orihime made a quick snack for herself, she watched as Grimmjow fidgeted on the couch across the room. 'What was wrong with him?' she wondered. 'Maybe she should just ask?'

"Hey Grimm, is something the matter? You seem worked up about something?"

Startled blue eyes looked up at Orihime before he answered, "I'm fine. Just a little restless I guess."

Orihime nodded and said, "Well then let's get out of here. We might be a few minutes early but that's ok."

It turned out that Ichigo and his family had been early as well and was waiting in the park when Orihime and Grimmjow arrived. Orihime noticed Grimmjow's step getting lighter as they neared the threesome. Yuzu immediately ran over to Grimmjow with a huge smile and threw her arms around his neck while Grimmjow picked her up and hugged her back.

Orihime smiled warmly at the scene and turned to look at Ichigo. A strange look crossed Ichigo's face but it faded away before Orihime was able to figure out what it was.

This time, Orihime joined in on the game. She laughed frequently and admired the two men whose athletic ability was clearly evident as they ran around. If she didn't know better, she would almost mistake them for friends.

Yuzu and Karin seemed to be having a great time as well. The admiration they had for their brother was clearly evident in their small faces.

At one point, an errant kick had landed nearly directly between Ichigo and Grimmjow and they both ran forward to grab it. Not to be outdone by the other, both men leaped forward and tackled the ball. Yuzu, Karin and Orihime all laughed as the two wrestled around on the ground for possession of the orange ball. Ichigo stood up triumphantly but quickly had his ankle pulled out from under him and he landed on his rear back on the ground.

Grimmjow stood up and grinned down at Ichigo as he sat rubbing his stinging backside. Ichigo accepted the hand that Grimmjow extended and was lifted swiftly off the ground. The two laughed and started passing the ball around again.

The game continued until the sun was starting to set. Ichigo had to take the girls back home but he promised them before they left that they would come back the next day. Grimmjow agreed and Orihime and him headed home.

The sun was fully departed when they got back to Orihime's apartment. They quickly grabbed something to eat and sat down to watch the TV as they ate. Grimmjow and her had become really comfortable over the past few days so when they finished eating and had cleaned up the dishes, they sat down on the couch and Orihime lounged out with her legs resting over Grimmjow's. There was no sexual tension between them and they both just enjoyed each other's company while they sat back for the evening.

Orihime's thoughts turned to Ulquiorra. She wondered what he was doing in Las Noches. He had seemed so desperate the last time she'd seen him. The memory still made her happy. She knew now that she was in love with Ulquiorra and that he just needed time to figure out his own heart. She hoped it wouldn't take him too long though.

When she went to bed her thoughts remained on her emerald eyed lover. She fell asleep with a small smile.

Orihime awoke some time during the night when she felt something brush across her lips. She opened her eyes and found herself staring into the shadowed face of Ulquiorra who seemed almost as surprised as her. He started to back away but Orihime reached a hand out and grabbed his sleeve before he moved any further.

Ulquiorra stopped and turned to look back down at the woman. Her pleading eyes ripped at his heart and he couldn't stop himself as he laid his body next to hers on the mattress. They stared at each other for several minutes, letting their eyes drink in the sight of the other. When Orihime lifted her hand to run her fingers delicately over his pale face, Ulquiorra closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling. When the pressure of lips covered his he couldn't contain the moan of longing that seeped up from inside him. As her lips gently played over his he felt his heart begin to beat quicker and his hands reached out for the woman lying next to him.

As much as she wanted to, Orihime did not deepen the kiss. When Ulquiorra's mouth started to press greedily against hers she backed away and smiled at him.

"Just stay with me tonight Ulquiorra… please," Orihime asked as she gazed deeply into large green eyes.

Ulquiorra closed his eyes and knew he was defeated. The days of roaming Las Noches had utterly exhausted his mind. He would do whatever she asked. Silently he nodded.

Inside, Orihime jumped for joy at the sight of his nodding head. She would never let him go now.

Her arms wrapped around the cool body in front of her and her lips sought out his in the dark. The kiss was soft at first; each exploring the other as the heat between them grew. When Orihime rolled Ulquiorra over onto his back, she lay by his side and continued their passionate kiss. Soon her hand reached out and slowly undid the zipper of his jacket. When the jacket was fully parted she traced her fingers over his muscular chest and down to his tight stomach. She felt the muscles clench underneath her perusal and she felt emboldened by his reaction.

Relinquishing his lips, Orihime moved her tongue to glide down his chin and suckled gently on his neck. When she heard a moan escape his lips she grazed her teeth against his skin and was rewarded with another quick moan from the man beneath her. After her mouth worked its way down the length of his neck she lifted her head and looked down at the gorgeous man in her bed. His green eyes stared intensely at her and she felt like she was swimming in their depths. She was lost.

Ulquiorra watched as the woman hovered over him. He felt his chest clench at the sight and he reached up to caress the golden hair behind her head. When she closed her eyes his hand drifted to her face and explored the soft skin beneath.

Orihime leaned back and lay down on the bed. She felt Ulquiorra shift his body beside her and she struggled to contain the well of emotion that erupted inside. With her lips pressed tightly together and her eyes shut tight, she turned her head away from Ulquiorra when she felt his hand caress her face.

Ulquiorra didn't understand her actions and thought she wanted him to stop. When he lifted his hand he saw a small tear escape the side of her eye and drift over her temple to vanish in her hair.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Orihime only shook her head as a wave of tears came spilling out. She buried her face into his bare chest, letting the tears fall as sobs wracked her body. Ulquiorra held her close, not knowing what else to do. When the tears finally abated and she was able to take a normal breath, she lifted her head reluctantly from his chest and said, "I'm sorry Ulqui. I didn't mean to do that in front of you. I've just missed you so much."

Ulquiorra's eyes registered shock when he heard this from the woman. For some reason his chest felt like it expanded and suddenly he wanted her so desperately he couldn't think about anything else. His lips captured hers and he could taste her salty tears as he slid his tongue inside her mouth.

With the touch of his tongue, something inside Orihime snapped. She grabbed desperately at Ulquiorra who seemed to feel the same need pressing at him that she did. Their hands ripped wildly at the others clothing, hands seeking the other's skin with a desperation that left them both panting. When they were finally both free of clothing, Ulquiorra moved his body over hers and only hesitated a moment before pushing his way inside of her and sliding his entire length deeply into the warmth he so craved.

Orihime wrapped her arms around her snowy skinned lover and gasped when she felt him start to move achingly slowly inside her. She timed her breathes to his thrust and as his rhythm increased, so did the panting of her breath. Within minutes she felt the now familiar clenching of her muscles as they sought the approaching spasms that would send her body spiraling out of control. Ulquiorra pressed his mouth to hers and her orgasm shook them both.

When Ulquiorra felt her muscles tighten around his hard cock he lost control and jerked in and out rapidly as he felt his own release nearing. With one final thrust he grabbed the woman's hips and released his seed deep inside.

After a few minutes, conscience thought returned to Orihime and she turned on her side and grabbed Ulquiorra's hand to wrap his arm around her. She felt him snuggle his chest against her back and his breath tickled the back of her neck. They lay like that for a while, allowing themselves to enjoy the feel of the other as their bodies relaxed. When Orihime felt light kisses caress her shoulder she moaned quietly and wiggled her hips against his.

Within seconds she felt him harden behind her and his caressing lips turned into hungry licks as his mouth moved from her shoulder to her spine. She felt his hand run down the length of her side and start massaging her naked hips while he pressed himself against her rear. Orihime was instantly turned on and pressed herself against his hardness while lifting her leg to lay it over his.

Though Ulquiorra wanted desperately to enter her, he held himself back. The hand that had been massaging her hips slid forward and pressed against her stomach. When he heard her whimper he inched his hand up to glide over her ample bosom. His fingers gently caressed each nipple as his tongue licked seductively at the back of her neck. When her hand reached between their bodies to grasp his length, what little self control he had vanished and he jerked his hips further into her grasp. He felt her guide him to her opening and he pushed forward to slide himself inside.

Her gasp sent sparks down his body and he grasped her hip firmly in his hand while the arm that was captured underneath her body wrapped itself around her shoulders. From this angle, Orihime couldn't help the whimpers that tore from her throat. His dick prodded a spot deep within her that had her gasping with her orgasm in less than a minute.

When Ulquiorra came, he pressed his face against Orihime's neck and moaned when the shutters took over his body.

Orihime let herself drift to sleep with his body wrapped possessively around hers. Before she lost total consciousness she whispered, "Please don't leave me Ulquiorra."

He had no intention of ever leaving her again.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Mmmm…" Orihime moaned as she turned in bed and bumped against Ulquiorra's body. She opened her eyes and was immediately assaulted with piercing green eyes looking back at her. She smiled and raised her arm to throw it around his stomach while nuzzling her face against his shoulder.

Ulquiorra placed his hand over the one that rested on his stomach. He turned his face to look at the woman beside him and leaned forward to press a kiss to her forehead. He had fulfilled his promise to her but it was morning now. There was no reason for him to linger around.

Something wouldn't let him move though. The feel of her breath whispering over his skin sent shivers down his body. Her warm body pressed to his side made him want to wrap his own around her and soak up every drop of warmth inside of her.

When finally Orihime spoke it was with a dreamy sort of tone as she, "I'm glad you stayed."

Ulquiorra didn't respond but just turned to his side and wrapped his arms around her still naked form. She returned the embrace and they allowed themselves a few moments of blissful silence while they absorbed the feel of each other.

With a sigh, Orihime finally broke the embrace and said, "I don't wanna go to school today."

Ulquiorra watched as the woman disentangled herself from him and rose from the bed. She walked shamelessly across her room and started dressing herself. He enjoyed watching her body as she moved gracefully from her closet to her dresser. When she finished snapping the last button in place he got himself up and dressed quickly as well, aware that the woman watched him nearly as intently as he had watched her.

As they stood in the center of the room, Orihime reached out and grasped Ulquiorra's hand in hers, pulling him to the door and opening it wide for them both to exit. He followed her down the hall and hesitated when he took a step into the brightly lit living room.

Grimmjow stood at the kitchen counter with a bowl in his hand, shoving some sort of food into his mouth. He didn't seem surprised at all at the sight of the two of them walking together hand in hand.

"G' Morning Princess. I'm not gonna even bother asking how you slept." Grimmjow said while a wicked grin spread over his face.

Orihime blushed cutely and said, "Err, mornin' Grimmjow."

After Orihime poured Ulquiorra and herself a glass of orange juice she asked Grimmjow, "Are you coming with me to school again or are you just going to meet Kurosaki-kun at the park later?"

"I'll just meet them later. I think I'm gonna head over to that weird mans shop this morning and see if I can get a job. I can't keep letting you pay for everything," said Grimmjow as he finished his bowl of food and dropped it into the sink.

Orihime watched as Ulquiorra took a hesitant sip of the orange liquid and smiled when he licked his lips.

"You really don't have to Grimm. I don't mind," said Orihime to Grimmjow's earlier statement.

"Eh, it'll give me something to do during the day."

Orihime watched as he grabbed the set of keys she had made for him off the counter and walked to the door.

"Later guys," he called out as he closed the door behind him.

Ulquiorra stared at the cup in his hands and thought about the interaction he had just witnessed between the woman and his former 'teammate.' There was certainly an obvious closeness between the two but he couldn't help but observe the very platonic nature of it. For some reason this eased him a little.

Snapping Ulquiorra out of his thoughts, Orihime asked cautiously, "Will you come back after school is over? I would really like to see you again."

Ulquiorra glanced at the woman before putting his now empty class on the counter. "If that is what you want."

Orihime smiled and grabbed his glass off the counter as she walked to the sink and rinsed the two glasses and Grimmjow's bowl. "My classes will be over at 3 so I should be home by 3:15."

When Orihime finished putting the dishes away she asked, "What will you do during the day?"

Ulquiorra looked at the woman and replied, "I'll go back to Las Noches."

He said it so matter of factly that she felt stupid for asking the question in the first place. When she looked at the clock she realized she was going to be late and was surprised she hadn't heard anything from Tatsuki yet. A moment later a loud rap sounded at the door and Tatsuki burst through.

"I'm sorry I'm late Orihime. Are you ready to…" Tatsuki stopped mid sentence and stared with horror at the man inside. Her body visibly tensed and her knees started to give out under her.

Orihime ran to her best friends' side and quickly covered her with her shield.

Ulquiorra took a step back as a memory flooded his brain. He had seen this girl before upon his first entry into the living world. She had been one of the few who had been able to withstand his and Yammy's spiritual pressure.

"Ulquiorra, I hate to say this but you have to leave. Please promise me you'll come back this afternoon," said Orihime as she tried to help her friend to her feet.

With a nod, Ulquiorra opened a garganta and vanished before their eyes.

As soon as he was gone, Tatsuki jolted up and yelled at Orihime, "What the hell is he doing here? He tried to kill you before. Are you losing your mind?"

Orihime tried to calm Tatsuki down but failed so she said, "He's different now. I promise he won't hurt me Tatsuki. I'm sorry you had to endure that. People like him can't control their spiritual pressure which is why you felt so weak."

Tatsuki nodded but didn't seem thrilled with her explanation.

The two walked quickly to school and Orihime watched the clock as the minutes passed by slower than she'd like.

When class finally ended, she said good bye to Tatsuki as she watched her raven hair friend run down the street to the dojo. Waiting in the same place as yesterday was Grimmjow who was already talking to Ichigo and Chad.

When Orihime joined the group she smiled and said hello to Grimmjow who returned the smile and greeting.

"Hey Inoue… are you still on for tonight?" Ichigo asked.

Orihime adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder and said, "Sorry, I have plans. Grimmjow's still going though." She took a step away from the group and said over her shoulder, "Have fun! Say hi to Yuzu and Karin for me!"

Orihime quickly sped home.

Back in the small group Ichigo scratched his head as he watched Orihime walk away briskly. "What's up with her?" he asked.

Grimmjow pointed a thumb in Orihime's direction and said, "She said something last night about having to do something this afternoon. Mind if I join you on your way to pick up your sisters?"

Ichigo turned his head away from Orihime and replied, "Yea sure… let's go."

Down the road, Orihime quickened her pace and tried to keep her excitement suppressed. When she reached her door she quickly unlocked it and nearly jumped inside. Her living room was empty and she felt her stomach sink.

She jogged into her bedroom and almost sighed in relief when she saw Ulquiorra sitting calmly on the side of her bed. All the excitement finally burst from her as she jumped across the room and tackled him to the bed.

Ulquiorra was so startled that he fell back against the mattress and braced his hands against her sides. He heard the woman giggle above him and watched as she bent her head and kissed him firmly on the lips. When she pulled her head back her smile was so bright he audibly gulped from the knot that formed in his gut.

"I'm so glad you're here. I was worried you wouldn't come. How long have you been here? I hope you didn't have to wait too long," Orihime babbled as she adjusted her weight on his lap and bent forward again to press soft kisses around his face. When her lips found his again she lingered over them and slowly traced her tongue around his lips.

Ulquiorra lifted his head up and tried to deepen their kiss but Orihime only pulled back farther and laughed softly. She didn't know where this wicked side of her came from but she found that she enjoyed it.

She rose off of his lap and stood next to the bed, looking down at Ulquiorra's questioning face. "You're interfering with my bath time. I think you're going to have to join m," Orihime stated seductively and held her hand out to help him out of bed.

Ulquiorra took her hand and lifted himself out of the bed. He followed the woman across the hall and walked into a green and orange tiled bathroom. A large tub lay on the far side of the room and he watched as Orihime walked to it and started adjusting knobs till she was satisfied with the temperature flowing out of the spout. When she turned to walk back, she started opening the buttons down her uniform shirt and shrugged out of the fabric. She next grabbed the button on her waist where her skirt wrapped around and swiftly undid the one there as well.

Ulquiorra could only stare at the beautiful woman in front of him. He felt himself harden when her hands reached between her breasts and snapped her bra off. When her fingers slid her panties to the floor he knew his arousal was clearly evident inside his pants but he didn't try to hide it.

Orihime walked up to Ulquiorra and started to slowly undress him. She admired the muscles on his shoulders and slid her hands down his well toned chest as she slid his jacket off. Her hands moved around to his back as she walked behind him and undid the knot of his belt. When that hit the floor she wrapped her arms around his waist and slowly undid the knots in front while she let her lips caress the skin on his back. She made a mental note to come back to that area in the near future as she walked back around him to let his pants fall to the floor. The sight of his arousal made her breath quicken as she turned and walked towards the almost filled tub.

Ulquiorra followed the woman to the tub and watched as she slowly stepped in. She bent her knees and sunk down in the water till she was completely submerged and then lifted her head out to look over at Ulquiorra who still stood beside the tub.

"Are you going to join me?" Orihime asked.

Ulquiorra gulped when she rose up to stand next to him. Her breasts were covered with droplets of water and he wanted more than anything to lick every last one of them up. He hurriedly stepped into the tub and reached for the woman in front of him.

Instead of stepping into his embrace, Orihime sunk back down into the water and sat down in the steamy warmth, inviting him to join her. He quickly sat down and faced the woman, watching her breasts as they bobbed in the water.

"Could you turn around Ulqui?" Orihime asked.

Ulquiorra looked confused but turn around to face his back towards her. When he felt her hands slide up his back he groaned and felt his muscles clench beneath her fingers. Her hands glided over the wet skin, exploring every inch of the broad surface. In a long sweep, Orihime ran her hands from the outer edge of his shoulder, down along his side to his narrow hips.

'His body was so amazing,' she thought.

When Orihime pressed her lips to his skin, she moaned at the taste and greedily began to lap up the droplets of water that clung to his back. Her hands moved around him to caress the muscles of his chest as her lips continued to ravish the skin at his back. When she noticed his rapid breathing she moved her lips to the back of his neck and let her tongue trace circles beneath his ear. At the same time, her hand slid down from his chest to glide across his flat stomach and grasp his cock. She pressed her body close to his and started sliding her hand up and down his hardness under the water.

With every movement of her hand, Orihime heard his small gasps and she relished in the feeling she got by bringing him pleasure. With her other hand, she cupped his balls and started gently massaging them. This caused Ulquiorra to grit his teeth and push his hips into her hands. The movement caused his head to bend backwards, affording her a better angle to his neck. She sucked hungrily at the exposed skin and increased the speed of her hand as it ran up and down his arousal. When the body in front of her started to shake she increased her rhythm yet again and waited to watch his release. A moment later she was rewarded with a violent shutter that passed through his body and she heard him cry out, "Oh my god woman!" His hands lifted out of the water to grip the rim of the tub violently as his dick exploded underneath the warm water.

Orihime moved her hands up to wrap around his chest and she laid her head against his back as she waited for his heartbeat to slow. Quicker than she thought, he lifted his head from the edge of the tub and turned to look back at the woman behind him.

She lifted her head from his back and kissed him lightly. Ulquiorra wasn't looking for a quick peck from her lips though and he quickly turned his body in the water and pressed her back against the other side of the tub. His tongue intruded into her mouth and his hands grabbed her hips firmly as he shifted his weight to sit between her legs.

Orihime sifted her fingers through his wet, dark locks and enjoyed the feel of his tongue caressing hers. When his mouth left hers he wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up in the water so that her breasts were level with his face. His lips closed around one moist nipple and he sucked roughly at the hard nub. His mouth feasted on the massive breasts and Orihime rolled her head back and let him press her body closer to his.

Beneath her rear Orihime could feel his muscled thighs and she wanted desperately to move her hips and place them over his but his arms had complete control of her body as he lifted her farther out of the water to give his mouth better access to her breasts. When his lips released her nipple with a succulent sound, Orihime whimpered at the loss. He shifted his body so that his back was resting on the other side of the tub and then his hands dipped under the water to grab her hips and lift them out of the water. He took each leg and draped it over his shoulders and over the rim of the tub.

Orihime felt so vulnerable but she loved the anticipation as he kissed a path up the inside of her thighs and began to stroke his tongue over the skin just below her center. When he repeated the process on the other thigh she was panting with need and grasping the side of the tub where her head lay. When his tongue slowly slid up the crack at the juncture of her thighs she bucked her hips up in the air and sucked in a ragged breath.

His hands held her hips firmly as his tongue started to slowly lick up and down the entire length of her. Every time his tongue passed over the sensitive bud of her clitoris Orihime would suck in a breath and press her hips against his mouth. She wanted desperately for him to wrap his lips around the sensitive nub but he just kept teasing her with slow strokes. When he slid a finger inside her she cried out, "Oh please Ulqui. I can't take it."

Ulquiorra lifted his face an inch to look at the woman's flushed face. "Please what…" he asked.

Orihime couldn't believe he was teasing her. The idea inflamed her even more.

Ulquiorra dipped his face back down and gently wrapped his lips around her clit. Orihime's hands clenched the tub and when he started to suck lightly she felt her body spasm out of control as she yelled, "Ulquiorra!"

Ulquiorra pressed a second finger inside her as her body clench around his digits. He stroked her warmth, bringing out her orgasm to its final spasm. When her orgasm was finished he gently unwrapped her legs from his shoulders and placed them on either side of his legs. He gathered her up in his arms and pressed her head against his shoulder as her body struggled to regain some semblance of control over itself.

Eventually she lifted her head and leaned back in his arms to look at his beautiful face. The urge to kiss him was too great so she pressed her lips against his and they passionately kissed each other for a while. When their lips broke apart, they continued to stare at one another. Neither one wanted to end the intimate moment but they could both feel the water becoming chilly and uncomfortable. Ulquiorra was the first to rise and he helped Orihime to her feet as they both exited the water.

Orihime grabbed a towel from a nearby shelf and handed it over to Ulquiorra. She grabbed her own towel and wrapped it around her shoulders. She took a step closer to Ulquiorra and wrapped her arms around his waist, encircling them both with her towel. Ulquiorra did the same around her shoulders and they stood for a while, enjoying the feel of the others wet body against theirs. Eventually Orihime lifted her head and kissed beneath Ulquiorra chin. She ran her hand up his cheek and lifted it till it touched the side of his helmet. She cringed a little at the feel but continued to run her fingers over its surface.

A moment later, Ulquiorra grabbed her hand gently and lowered it to his lips. He pressed a light kiss to her fingertips and then kissed her gently on the mouth.

A warmth started to build up inside of Orihime as a completely new emotion seemed to spread inside of her.

Grudgingly, Orihime took a step back from Ulquiorra and started drying herself. She didn't bother to change into her school clothes but instead wrapped the towel tightly around her and secured it at the top by pressing the corner underneath. Ulquiorra dried himself off as well and wrapped his own towel securely around his hips. Orihime wanted to devour him again but she stopped herself and walked to the door.

When she opened the door, she heard someone in the kitchen banging pots and pans so she ran across the hall and dashed into her bathroom, Ulquiorra right on her heel. They both quickly got dressed and exited her room together. She wasn't sure how to act when they entered the living room but she couldn't hide forever. Bravely she stepped forward and waited for Grimmjow's knowing grin.

**Yikes! I wasn't expecting that to take up so much of the chapter. More content to come.. I promise.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Whatcha makin' Grimm?" Orihime asked, trying to keep a casual note to her tone.

Grimmjow looked up at the two as they walked into the living room.

With a big grin Grimmjow answered, "I don't know. I'm just throwin' stuff together that I like. How are you guys doing?" he winked.

Orihime couldn't contain the blush that spread across her face as she answered, "We… we're good. Can I help you with anything?"

"Nah I'm fine," he replied. His blue eyes turned to look at Ulquiorra and decided he wanted to have a little fun. "You look spotlessly clean Ulquiorra. Did they change the soap in Las Noches since I left?"

Normally Ulquiorra would have just ignored Grimmjow but for some reason he felt himself responding, "It's a special soap only Espada ranked under 5 are allowed to use."

"Ahh," said Grimmjow. "So you wouldn't have minded if Stark used your 'soap' then?"

Orihime watched as Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed but didn't take the bait this time.

Grimmjow sighed in disappointment. He had been looking forward to a nice verbal bout with Ulquiorra.

"So how did it go at Urahara's?" Orihime asked to try to break the tension that had suddenly settled in the room.

Grimmjow looked up from his stirring and said, "He gave me a job. Actually he seemed really grateful; something about needing someone who could lift stuff. I think he might be looking to hire another person… Ulquiorra," Grimmjow hinted.

Orihime looked over at Ulquiorra and felt her stomach fill up with butterflies. She hadn't had the guts yet to ask him to stay for any long period of time. She wondered what he would say.

An 'are you nuts' look crossed over Ulquiorra's face before he looked at the woman in his laps hopeful expression and decided to ponder this for a while. Orihime took this as possibly a good sign.

"He doesn't pay well though," Grimmjow groaned.

"It will be so much fun working for Urahara-san. He's so interesting. You never know what that guy is thinking," Orihime said.

Grimmjow only grunted in response. He didn't seem as thrilled about his new boss as she was.

"How was the park?" Orihime asked while moving over to an overstuffed chair in the corner. She motioned for Ulquiorra to take a seat. When he sat down she plopped into his lap, letting her legs hang over one of the sides as she turned her attention back to Grimmjow who was still standing in the kitchen.

"It was a lot of fun. We played ball for a while again and then took a walk around the park. Yuzu talked Ichigo into getting ice cream for us all. That stuff is amazing!" Grimmjow exclaimed.

"Oh my God! You had ice cream without me! That's my one and only rule… no eating ice cream without Orihime."

Grimmjow laughed at the Princess and started scooping spoonfuls of food onto a plate. "Did you want some too Ulquiorra?" he asked. He felt funny asking Ulquiorra something like that but everything seemed strange now; not the least of which was the fact that a draw dropping babe sat happily in Ulquiorra's lap.

Ulquiorra shook his head in answer.

"I do!" Orihime cried.

Grimmjow filled another plate and walked across the room to hand it to her. She eagerly dug in and moaned her approval.

"Mmmm… this is really good Grimm. Here, try some Ulqui," said Orihime as she waved a forkful of food in front of Ulquiorra's face.

To avoid having food splattered all over his face he opened his mouth and took the bite she offered. His reaction wasn't quite on the same level as Orihime's but he had to admit, it wasn't bad. He would never say that though, of course.

While Grimmjow sat down and started in on his own plate of food Ulquiorra decided to ask, "How is it that you look human Grimmjow?"

Grimmjow looked up and said after finishing a mouthful of food, "It's this gigai thing Urahara lent me."

"What's a gigai?" Ulquiorra further questioned.

Orihime jumped in and said, "It's this body thing that Urahara created which can convert spirits into human form. This is what soul reapers use whenever they come down here."

After Orihime finished explaining, Grimmjow continued, "It's not so bad. At first it was a little weird but you get used to it quickly. Now I barely notice it. Sucks not having my power though."

"So you got this thing at the same place you are now working?" Ulquiorra asked.

Grimmjow nodded and continued to shovel down his food.

After a few minutes of silence, Orihime finished her food and got up from Ulquiorra's lap. As she was walking to the sink, Ulquiorra said, "I will try this work and gigai thing."

The sound of a plate crashing against the bottom of the sink echoed across the apartment and then a high pitched squeal replaced the sound.

"Yay! I'm so happy! You're going to love it!" cried Orihime as she ran across the room and threw her arms around a still sitting Ulquiorra.

Grimmjow watched the display of affection and grinned when he saw Ulquiorra's eyes soften as he laid his own hands on the girl. 'I guess there's a little more to that man than I figured,' he thought to himself.

"Oh I forgot to mention, Ichigo's dad wants us to come over for dinner tomorrow night," said Grimmjow as he finished the last bit of food on his plate and promptly brought it over to the sink and washed his and Orihime's dishes.

"Oh," Orihime said, a bit surprised. "Kurosaki-kun doesn't know Ulquiorra is here does he?"

Grimmjow shook his head and placed the last dish into the cabinet.

"Oh well. I'll just talk to him about it tomorrow," she said.

A few minutes later, Orihime stood up and displayed an elaborate yawn as she stretched her arms towards the ceiling. "I'm tired. I think I'm gonna go to bed. Stay out here as long as you like Ulqui. I'll leave a pair of my brother's old pajamas out for you when you're ready to join me."

Ulquiorra definitely caught the last part as she walked out of the room and he could hear a door opening and closing down the hall. He looked over at Grimmjow who now sat on the couch flipping through channels on the TV. His body wanted to follow the woman immediately but his brain interrupted him before he moved. "Why do you stay here?"

Grimmjow answered without looking back, "Why not? Aizen's gone. Most of the Espada are dead. Even when they were all there it was boring in Las Noches." He picked an action movie and leaned back against the couch, "Besides, it's kinda fun here. Ichigo isn't all that bad. Even my boss seems nice enough. Not to mention the Princess."

Ulquiorra pondered what he said for a few minutes and stood up. He will give it a try for a little while at least. Maybe then he could figure out what was going on between him and the woman.

When Ulquiorra opened the door to the woman's' room he saw Orihime laying on her side on the bed. She was covered by a sheet and her orange hair fanned out on the pillow behind her. On the top of a nearby dresser he saw a pair of pants neatly folded which he assumed were the pajamas she had mentioned; noting the lack of a shirt. He quickly undressed and slid the loose pants on.

He didn't know why but he felt a bit awkward getting into the bed with her. Every time he had lain with the woman it had been a means for a sexual act. After a deep breath, Ulquiorra lifted the covers and slid under the sheet next to the woman. Her body radiated heat and he subconsciously pressed closer to her.

When he lifted his head to look down at the woman's profile his eyes widened with surprise. She was asleep already.

He decided to take advantage of the situation and let his eyes wander over her delicate features. His fingers soon followed the path of his eyes and skimmed the silky skin beneath. The path extended to her feminine jaw line and his fingers gently glided up to trace her ear. He let his lips descend and placed light kisses to her neck.

When she uttered a small noise in her sleep he moved his lips down to her shoulder and savored the sweet taste of her skin. His hand moved down and started to run the length of her from her ribs, down into the curve of her waist and up to lightly lay over her hip. He moved his hand up and down her side while he continued to kiss and lick her shoulder.

When his hand caught on the top of the sheet he pushed it down till it uncovered the top half of the woman's body. She was wearing a thin tank top and the angle afforded him a perfect view of her breasts beneath her shirt. He felt his body hardening at the sight and instinctively pushed himself closer to her back.

Ulquiorra moved his hand down to the bottom of her shirt and slid it underneath. His fingers moved over the slender waist and ventured up to find one large orb and cupped it. Another sound escaped the woman's lips at his touch and he ran his thumb over her hardening nipple. At the same time his lips grazed over the sensitive skin of her neck and he lightly ran his tongue over the area.

After a few moments, Ulquiorra felt the woman move and press her hips back as her eyes blinked open. She turned her head and sought his lips.

Ulquiorra didn't hesitate to meet her lips and soon their tongues were seeking entrance into the others mouth. The hand at Orihime's breasts started to increase its pressure and she moaned quietly when he pinched a small nub between his fingers.

When they finally broke the heated kiss, Ulquiorra grabbed the bottom of Orihime's shirt and slid it over her head. He moved back a small space so that she could lay flat on the bed and he let his eyes travel over her beautiful body. His head bent over and took a hard nipple into his mouth and gently began to suck as his tongue flicked over the sensitive bud.

"Oh that feels so good…" whimpered Orihime.

At the same time, Ulquiorra slid his hand beneath the elastic of her shorts and dipped his finger into the crevice and found her clit. He worked both her clit and her nipple in identical strokes with his tongue and finger.

Orihime started lifting her hips in a desperate plea for fulfillment.

Ulquiorra could feel her getting wetter and wetter and his own erection pushed painfully against the front of his pants. In almost one fluid motion Ulquiorra lifted his head and slid Orihime's shorts off her legs and over her feet to pool on the bottom of her bed. He next grabbed his own pants and yanked them off to join her shorts.

With no hesitation, Orihime bent her knees and opened her legs in an obvious invitation. An instant later, Ulquiorra was between those legs and sliding his erection inside. They both moaned when his full length filled the opening. With slow movements Ulquiorra started to slide in and out of the warm passage.

Orihime's lips sought out his while their bodies moved in a sensual game of give and take; Ulquiorra giving everything he had and Orihime taking every bit. She felt his hand slide between their bodies and find her sensitive nub, circling it with his fingertip. When she felt her muscles start to clench she dug her fingers in the smooth skin of Ulquiorra's back and cried out her release into his shoulder.

Ulquiorra felt the tightening of her muscles around his cock and he increased his rhythm till he was breathing heavy from the exertion. A moment later his own body shuttered as he filled the woman beneath him with his seed.

They lay spent in each others arms for a time afterwards. Before Ulquiorra was even able to remove himself from Orihime they both fell into a deep sleep; him lying on top of her.

The next morning Orihime woke up snuggled into the man beside her. Ulquiorra was already awake and tightened his arms around her as he kissed her forehead.

Orihime smiled into his chest and pressed her own kiss to his bare skin.

"I'm thirsty. Wanna get a glass of water with me?" Orihime asked.

Quietly Ulquiorra replied, "Ok."

They both got up and threw on their pajamas. Orihime walked out of her room with Ulquiorra right behind her, tightening the drawstring on his pants. When they walked into the kitchen they could see Grimmjow still asleep on the couch.

Orihime grabbed two glasses out of the cupboard and started filling each glass with water.

Ulquiorra walked up behind her and slid his arms around her waist, looking over her shoulder as she put the last glass down and turned off the water. She passed him one of the glasses and he took it in one hand, leaving his other arm around her body.

As Orihime took the first sip she heard, "Eccchhh, can't you guys keep it in your room?"

The two turned and saw Grimmjow throw his arm over his eyes and turn his body to face the back on the couch.

"Good Morning Grimmjow," Orihime said with extra sweetness to annoy him.

The only reply she got was a muffled grunt.

After they finished their glasses they walked back into her room and Orihime sighed. "I really don't wanna go to school today."

Ulquiorra agreed with her but didn't say anything.

"I better jump into the shower. I'd ask you to join me but I don't think I'd make it to school on time…. Then again, who cares?" Orihime said with a huge smile.

Ulquiorra just shrugged and tried to act indifferent.

Orihime grabbed her school uniform and then dug around her closet till she emerged with a pair of jeans and a grey, short sleeved button up shirt. She passed these over to Ulquiorra and said, "You might not need them now but if Urahara lends you a gigai you will probably want them."

He took the clothes and said thank you then followed her to the bathroom.

Once inside, the two hurriedly got into the shower. They didn't escape the tub without a little petting here and there but overall they succeeded in keeping her on time for school.

When Orihime departed for school she left Ulquiorra and Grimmjow at the door and watched as they both headed towards Urahara's shop. At school, Orihime found Ichigo and told him about Ulquiorra. She didn't go into details but just told him that he was now staying at her place as well and hoped that he could go to dinner with them tonight as well.

Ichigo didn't seem too thrilled about it but he invited him anyway.

When school was over Orihime said good bye to her friends and headed quickly home. As she turned the last corner to her house she saw Ulquiorra and Grimmjow standing at her front door as Grimmjow fiddled with the keys.

Orihime hurriedly walked forward and nearly stopped dead in her tracks when she got a closer look at Ulquiorra. His head was now free of the hollow helmet and his black hair waved gently in the soft breeze. His skin was still perfectly pale but the green tear drops were gone from his face. The jeans she had lent him hung loosely on his narrow hips and the shirt lay flatteringly over his muscular torso, revealing his deliciously flat stomach and defined pectorals.

When he turned to look at Orihime she felt her knees start to wobble as his gaze locked with hers. She didn't know how long she stood there staring at him but before she knew it he was standing in front of her with a questioning look on his face.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Orihime tried to snap herself out of her trance as she mumbled, "Your… your gigai. You… you look… good." 'That was the understatement of the year,' she thought.

Ulquiorra just narrowed his eyes in confusion and took her limp hand from her side to lead her the rest of the way home.

"That Urahara is a slave driver," complained Grimmjow as he grabbed a shirt from his pile of new clothes and ripped the tags off. He yanked the sweat stained shirt over his head and headed down the hall, into the bathroom.

Orihime still couldn't quite snap out of her daze as she stood in the center of her living room, staring at Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra seemed to get embarrassed and ran a nervous hand through his hair where his helmet used to be. Instantly Orihime was on him, crushing her lips over his and running her fingers through his raven hair.

Ulquiorra was so shocked he nearly fell back but steadied himself in time and hesitantly kissed her back. He didn't understand where this was coming from.

When they heard the door to the bathroom opening Orihime jumped back from Ulquiorra and blushed, still unable to keep her eyes off of him. She finally tore her gaze from him and nearly ran into her bedroom. Quickly she changed out of her uniform and threw on a flower skirt that reached mid thigh and pulled on a green blouse.

As she walked back out to the living room her eyes sought out Ulquiorra's and she felt her whole body go weak again. She seriously hoped that this wouldn't happen every time she saw him.

"Alright Princess, stop drooling over human Ulquiorra and lets go," said Grimmjow who was making a grossed out face in front of the door.

Orihime hurried to the door and grabbed Ulquiorra's hand as they left her place. It didn't take long for them to walk to Ichigo's house. When they got there, Yuzu burst out of the front door and ran to give Grimmjow a hug. Grimmjow picked her up and laughed as he swung her in the air. Orihime couldn't help but smile at the happy scene in front of her.

When they all walked inside, Ichigo was leaning against the table as Karin was busy setting plates around. Barreling down the hallway was Isshin, Ichigo's father who hardily pumped Grimmjow and Ulquiorra's hands as he greeted them.

"Hey Ichigo!" Isshin called out. "I wanna dye my hair blue too. How do you think I'd look?"

Ichigo smacked his face with his palm and shook his head. "Ignore my dad. I think he hit his head too many time's."

When Ichigo walked up to the guests he said hey to Orihime and Grimmjow but stopped when he got to Ulquiorra. He looked at him for a few seconds and then said, "How's it going Ulquiorra?"

Orihime mentally wiped invisible sweat from her brow as relief flooded her.

Ulquiorra replied, "Fine. Thank you for inviting me Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Just Ichigo please."

Dinner was already prepared so they sat down to eat. Yuzu happily gabbed through the whole meal while Ichigo and his father traded insults back and forth.

By the end of the meal, Grimmjow was teaming up with Isshin on the Ichigo bashing and everyone was laughing by the time they brought their dishes to the sink. Though the happy banter succeeded in drawing her attention away occasionally, Orihime's eyes were still glued to Ulquiorra. Every movement he made seemed to be a sensual dance and his ever penetrating eyes seemed to be even more intense with the loss of the tears on his cheeks. She wanted him so badly she could feel the wetness between her thighs as they all chatted after dinner.

At one point, Orihime tried to lure him away from the group unnoticed and sneak him into the bathroom. As Orihime placed her hand on the knob to the bathroom she heard, "Hey Inoue, did you finish your essay yet for class?" asked Ichigo as he rounded the corner to the hallway.

Ichigo was a little startled to see them both standing there but it seemed innocent enough when Orihime said, "Oh yea. I finished it in study hall today." She pushed open the door and waved Ulquiorra inside. "I was just showing Ulquiorra where your bathroom was," she said while biting her lip and following Ichigo back out to the living room.

They stayed a little while longer but when the sun started to sink down they said good bye and headed back to Orihime's apartment.

Grimmjow noticed that Orihime seemed to be in a hurry so he slowed his pace and kept a constant conversation going with her the entire way home. When they finally got to her place, Orihime unlocked the door and walked inside.

She was startled when she saw someone lying on her couch. Flipping through the channels was Rangiku who smiled and jumped off the couch when she saw Orihime come in.

"Orihime! How are you?" Rangiku hollered as she threw her arms around Orihime and squeezed her tightly to her massive chest.

Orihime winced and replied, "I'm good Rangiku. What are you doing here?"

When Rangiku released her she stepped back and said, "Taicho told me to take a few days off. He thought it would be good for me to come here and do a little shoppin…" she trailed off as she saw the two men standing behind Orihime in the doorway.

Directly behind her stood Ulquiorra who Orihime introduced Rangiku to first. Next to him was Grimmjow who smiled wickedly at Rangiku as she stared at him.

"Orihime, aren't they…" Rangiku said nervously.

Orihime scratched her head nervously and replied, "Erm, yea. They are Espada. Urahara lent them gigai's. They are staying with me for a while."

Rangiku smiled at her and winked before saying, "You lucky devil. I should be mad at you for not inviting me. A few more people and we could have a party."

Grimmjow walked into the kitchen and started pouring himself a glass of water. Rangiku watched his movements and when she saw the water start to flow into his glass she yelled, "Wait! You can't drink water after 8. Orihime must have some sake around here somewhere."

Grimmjow stopped the glass on the way to his lips in surprise as Rangiku bumped him with her breasts and grabbed the glass from his hands.

Rangiku started to open all the cabinets in search of sake and Orihime groaned in exasperation, knowing she wouldn't be getting Ulquiorra into her bed any time soon.

When Orihime retrieved a bottle from a corner cabinet, Rangiku cheered and started passing around drinks. Orihime and Ulquiorra passed since she had school tomorrow and he had to work but Grimmjow didn't seem to care so he started throwing the drinks back on pace with Rangiku.

Not long later, Grimmjow and Rangiku sat on the sofa, chanting tunes poorly and acting like they had been best friends for years. At one point in between drinking songs Grimmjow grinned over at Rangiku and said, "Did ya know that these two are going at it like rabbits every night?"

Orihime gasped at his comment and turned bright red; Ulquiorra didn't seem to be too many shades paler.

"No way!" cried Rangiku who unsteadily rose to her feet and unsteadily walked over to Orihime. She wrapped her arms around her and said, "That's my girl. Tell me every detail."

Orihime turned an even darker shade of red before Rangiku said, "Oh nevermind. He's right here." Then she whispered, "Tell me later if he's any good."

With a groan, Orihime walked to the closet and started grabbing bedding for her new guest to sleep on. She laid out a thin mattress on the ground and rolled a blanket on top. When she got up she heard Grimmjow say, "You can have the couch. I'll sleep on the floor if you want."

Rangiku happily accepted his offer and then said good night to Orihime and Ulquiorra as they left to go to her room. They could hear giggling as they walked down the hall to her bedroom.

When Orihime finally had Ulquiorra all to herself.. ALONE, she grabbed the front of his shirt and pressed him up against the wall. She kissed him heatedly and he quickly returned the enthusiasm.

He grabbed her hips and lifted her legs to wrap around his waist. He turned them around and pushed her against the wall without breaking the kiss. His hand reached up under her skirt and pulled the pink thong down over her milky white thighs. With another movement of his hand he released his erection from his pants and thrust himself inside of her.

Orihime gasped as he penetrated her. She ran her hands through his thick hair as he thrust himself into her in a quick rhythm. Their lips found each other and battled as he pumped into her, not caring about the sound they made against the wall. When Orihime was close to her orgasm she grabbed a handful of his hair in one hand and slapped her palm against the wall with her other.

She tore her mouth away from Ulquiorra's as she cried out, "Oh fuck me… this is so good!"

Ulquiorra crashed his hips into hers one last time before her body fell apart in a massive orgasm that left her weeping in his arms. He wasn't too far behind her and grinded himself against her dripping wet center until his own release flowed through him and leaked inside of her.

Their bodies were both slick with perspiration as they held each. Orihime was still pressed against the wall and Ulquiorra's forehead rested against hers as he breathed rapidly against her. Eventually he let her slide down his body to let her feet touch the floor.

When they finally broke apart and Orihime started walking to her dresser to grab some clothes to sleep in, she noticed the door wasn't completely closed. Orihime turned bright red, knowing there was no way the two people outside hadn't heard them.

Just as she suspected, a minute later she heard Rangiku say purposely loud enough for them to hear. "You were right Grimm. They are rabbits."

**Hope you enjoyed! As always, reviews are appreciated.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks for the reviews. I also wanted to say thank you to Sophie for her suggestion. I changed the description. I hope it's a little better now. **

**Chapter 8**

Orihime pushed her door closed quietly and turned to look at Ulquiorra who was sliding his pajama bottoms on. She could still feel the heat across her face from Rangiku's comment a moment ago. Taking a seat on the side of her bed, Orihime groaned and looked back up at Ulquiorra who was now standing in front of her.

He looked at her and asked, "Are you upset?"

Orhime lifted her eyes and said, "Not upset, no. Just embarrassed I guess."

Ulquiorra took a seat next to her and took her hand in his. After a few moments Orihime looked over at him with a happy smile and said, "I'm not going to let it bother me. I've wanted to do that all evening."

"Why?" Ulquiorra questioned with a serious look on his face.

Orihime giggled and placed her hands on either side of his head, running her fingers through his thick midnight hair. "You have no idea how hot you are," she said and leaned forward to give him a quick kiss.

Green eyes widened in shock after Orihime's last statement.

Just then they both jump slightly when they heard a loud bang come from the other room. Orihime and Ulquiorra quickly got up from the bed and headed out to the living room to see what had happened.

On the floor lay Grimmjow, rubbing the side of his head and on his back was Rangiku who was laughing so hard she had tears rolling down her face.

"What happened?" asked Orihime.

Grimmjow groaned in answer and Rangiku said in between bouts of laughter, "I bet… Grimmjow… that he… was too drunk to… be able to carry me on his back… and run three laps… around your kitchen." Rangiku tried to stand up and Orihime ran over to help steady her as she got to her feet. When she was successfully standing with support from Orihime she said, "He couldn't even make it one lap! You owe me blue boy! You better pay up."

Orihime decided she didn't want to know what they could possibly have been wagering. Instead she led Rangiku to the couch and helped her down. Grimmjow tried to get to his feet and started to stumble. He gave up after a few attempts and decided it would just be easier to crawl over to the mattress that Orihime had earlier laid down for him. Almost an instant later he was passed out and snoring heavily into the thin pillow.

Orihime said good night to Rangiku who she could hear mumble sleepily behind her, "Light weight."

Ulquiorra followed her back into her room and they both lay down together on her bed. She snuggled into Ulquiorra's chest and let herself enjoy the feeling of just having his arms around her. Soon they were both asleep.

Morning came quickly and Orihime smiled as she woke up. They both got ready for the day together and when they walked out into the living room, Grimmjow was leaning against the kitchen counter sipping a glass of water as he stared across the room at the woman sprawled out on the couch. Rangiku was still dead asleep, her hair hung over the side of the couch and one of her arms was flung out to the side. Her shirt somehow managed to keep her cleavage from spilling out.

"Good morning Grimmjow. How are you feeling?" Orihime asked as she got herself something to eat.

"Eh, I'm fine. That woman is insane though," he said as he continued to stare at Rangiku.

Orihime laughed but then felt bad as she saw Rangiku stir on the couch. They watched as she rubbed her head and groaned when she tried to open her eyes.

"Damn you sake!" she grumbled as she rolled on the couch into a sitting position. When her eyes found Grimmjow standing on the other side of the room she widened her eyes and said, "How are you alive still?"

Grimmjow laughed haughtily and said, "Apparently I'm the better drinker."

Rangiku laughed sarcastically but then grabbed the side of her head in pain. "You wish. I totally beat you last night. And don't think I forgot our little wager," she said while she tried to slowly stand.

"You don't have to get up Rangiku-san. Stay here as long as you want. You still have my key from when you stayed last time right?" Orihime asked.

Rangiku nodded and grabbed a glass from the shelf and poured herself a glass of water and then grabbed a few Aspirin. After she gulped down the water she turned to Orihime and smiled as she said, "I had the greatest idea last night before I fell asleep. We should have a party! There are already four people here. It would be so much fun! Please Orihime, can we have a party here tonight?"

Orihime laughed nervously and said, "Uhh, sure I guess. It is Friday night so I don't see why not. Ulqui, Grimm… do you guys have to work tomorrow?'

"I don't think so," Ulquiorra replied as he stood by Orihime's side.

"Perfect!" cried Rangiku excitedly. "Don't worry about a thing. I'll get everything ready. Can you invite Ichigo and that weird Quincy kid? Oh and when you're done with class can we go to that bakery we went to last time I was here?"

Orihime perked up at the mention of the bakery and said, "That sounds great! I can't wait."

Rangiku didn't realize she had mainly been talking about the bakery, not the party.

"More soul reapers," moaned Grimmjow while he headed for the front door.

"More sake!" cried Rangiku as she waved at Grimmjow's retreating back.

Orihime grabbed Ulquiorra's arm as straightened to head out behind Grimmjow. She planted a quick kiss on his lips and smiled while she said, "Have a good day. I'll see you after we get back from the shop."

When Ulquiorra closed the door behind him Rangiku started oo'ing. "That was so cute Orihime. When did you and green eyes start dating?"

"Uh, well… I'm not sure we officially are dating. At least, he hasn't asked me or anything."

"It's so obvious he adores you. Are you happy?" asked Rangiku.

Orihime nodded her head and smiled. Rangiku threw arms around her friend and cheered. When Orihime started to suffocate from the intense hug she pushed back and said in a gasp, "I gotta go to school. I'll see you at the bakery later!"

With that, Orihime bolted out the door and she could hear Rangiku calling out behind her, "Don't forget to invite them!"

XxXxXxX

Orihime walked into her favorite bakery and immediately felt all giddy inside. She loved sweets. Just smelling the sweet aroma made her happy.

Sitting next to a wide window was Rangiku who was already stuffing a piece of red velvet cake into her mouth. Orihime walked over to her quickly and smiled. "Hi Rangiku-san."

"Orihime!" Rangiku cried with a mouth full of cake. "Mmm, try this," she said as she handed over her cupcake.

Orihime took a bite and moaned her approval.

"I'm gonna go get something. I'll be right back," Orihime said as she turned and walked towards the shop counter.

When she came back to the small table and sat down across from Rangiku she said, "Kurosaki-kun and Ishida-kun said they will be there tonight at the party." Orihime took a large bit of her chocolate brownie and offered Rangiku a piece.

"Perfect! I invited a bunch of people from Soul Society. It's going to be a blast," mumbled Rangiku as she shoved the piece of brownie into her mouth.

After a few minutes of mmm's and ahhh's, Rangiku turned and started gazing out the window. Orihime noticed that her thoughts seemed to be far from here so she decided to ask. "Rangiku-san, are you really ok? If Hitsugaya-sama thought you needed some time off he must be really worried about you."

Rangiku blinked and returned to the present world. She turned to Orihime with a smile and said, "I'll be fine. Gin and I were really close growing up. It's just taking me some time to get over everything."

Orihime nodded in understanding and reached out a friendly hand to grasp Rangiku's. A few minutes later Rangiku excitedly says, "Oh you have to see what I bought for tonight's party."

Reaching into a bag by her side, Rangiku comes up with a handful of white t-shirts and reaches into another bag to pull out a bunch of brightly colored markers. Orihime looks at her questioningly and Rangiku explains, "It's a Graffiti and Black Light party!" Orihime still looks at her cluelessly and Rangiku sighs while saying, "I'll explain it later. It's going to be so much fun!"

Soon after, they both left the shop and headed home. When they got to Orihime's apartment, Ulquiorra and Grimmjow were sitting in the living room and looked up as the two girls walked inside. Rangiku threw her bags in a pile in the center of the room and bounced around as she pulled out item after item.

"Rangiku-san, I need to go take a shower and change. I'll be back to help in a few minutes," said Orihime as she walked into her bedroom with Ulquiorra trailing behind her.

"No problem Orihime. Should I keep Ulquiorra out here so you don't get… distracted?" Rangiku joked.

Orihime blushed and hurried into her room.

When Ulquiorra closed the door behind him he walked right up behind Orihime who was already unbuttoning her blouse. He slid his hands around her stomach and let them pass underneath the parted fabric. Orihime rolled her head back on to his shoulder and sighed. His lips trailed the length of her shoulder as he pushed her shirt off and let it fall to the floor.

"I missed you today," said Orihime as his hands rubbed lightly over her flat stomach.

"I think I missed you too," he answered while planting more kisses along her curved neck. Orihime lifted her hand up and let her fingers run lightly across his cheek. He turned his head and planted a kiss into the palm of her hand.

Orihime turned in his arms to face him and reached up to kiss him passionately on the lips. Her tongue automatically sought entrance into his mouth and he didn't hesitate to allow her access. Their arms wrapped around each other and they crushed the other's body to theirs. Neither could seem to get enough of the contact.

When Ulquiorra lifted her and carried her to the bed they made love and for once Orihime didn't feel like passing out afterwards. Instead she felt revived and bounced up to go take a shower. She hurriedly grabbed a pair of jean shorts and a t-shirt before running across the hall to the bathroom.

Ulquiorra joined her and they helped each other wash up. While they were getting dressed a knock sounded at the door and Orihime cautiously said, "Yea? Who's there?"

"Don't get dressed yet. Put these on instead of your normal shirts." An arm thrust itself through a crack in the door and held out two white shirts. Ulquiorra walked over and picked up the two shirts and watched as the arm exited and the door closed quickly after.

He passed the smaller shirt to Orihime who looked at it in confusion. 'What was this for?' she wondered.

She threw the shirt over her head and turned to watch Ulquiorra as he put his shirt on as well. The shirt fit him well, hugging every muscle and showing off his toned form.

"Yours looks better than mine," Orihime said.

Ulquiorra turned to look at her and disagreed. The t-shirt clung tightly to her large chest and showed off her tiny waist to advantage. The jean shorts came up low on her waist and left about an inch gap between her shirt and her shorts. 'Sexy as hell,' he thought.

They exited the bathroom together and walked out into the now purplish living room. The lamp shades were all piled in a corner of the room and the normal light bulbs that usually lit up the room were now black lights. Orihime could see Grimmjow lying bottles of alcohol out on the kitchen table, wearing his white t-shirt that glowed brightly in the dark light.

On the other side of the room was Rangiku wearing her own t-shirt but of course hers had a deep v-neck that allowed her cleavage to spill out. She was bent over a stereo trying to organize a play list for the night.

"How can we help Rangiku?" Orihime asked excitedly.

Rangiku lifted her head and said, "Can you pour those snacks in that bag over there into some bowls for me?"

"Sure!" answered Orihime.

Orihime and Ulquiorra busied themselves finding large bowls and filling them with pretzels, chips and all sorts of random snack foods.

Grimmjow's hand reached over and started stealing handfuls of food. "What's with the t-shirts Princess?" he asked.

Orihime shrugged her shoulders and said, "I have no idea. She seems to have something planned though," nodding towards Rangiku who finally stood up from the stereo and walked over to the group.

"They should be here any minute!" Rangiku said excitedly.

Sure enough, not a minute later they heard the first knock on the door. Rangiku ran over to open it and standing in the doorway was Rukia, Renji and Hisagi. Orihime ran up to Rukia and gave her a huge hug.

"Rukia! I'm so happy to see you!" Orihime cried as she let go of Rukia's tiny form.

"Good to see you too. How have you been?" Rukia asked.

"I'm doing well," answered Orihime.

When the three walked inside they all stopped abruptly when they saw Ulquiorra and Grimmjow leaning against the wall, side by side.

Rangiku quickly interjected, "Guys, this is Grimmjow and Ulquiorra… Orihime's friends. Grimmjow's a real wus when it comes to drinking so we need to show him a thing or two tonight." She winked over at Grimmjow who was scowling at the woman.

Renji spoke up, "Eh, don't worry Grimmjow. Rangiku drinks us under the table every time. No one can keep up with her."

They all laughed and soon another knock was heard at the door. Orihime opened it this time and outside stood Ichigo and Uryu.

"Hey guys! Come on in." Orihime said enthusiastically.

When they walked inside, Rangiku started throwing a t-shirt at each one of them and they all looked at it confused.

"What is this for?" Ichigo asked.

"Don't worry about it. Just put it on," said Rangiku.

The boys all started pulling off their shirts and Rukia headed for Orihime's bathroom to change into hers. When she came out, another knock was heard at the door and soon after entered Toshiro, Momo, Kira, Ikkaku, Yumichika, and Nanao. They were all given shirts as well and soon everyone was glowing brightly in the dark light.

"Matsumoto, what's with all the t-shirts?" asked Toshiro.

"You guys are so impatient," said Rangiku who started digging through another bag. When she emerged she started passing out thick markers to everyone. After everyone had one she looked at the group with a huge grin.

"Don't tell me you still haven't figured it out," she complained.

When no one spoke she pouted, "Hisagi I'm disappointed in you. I thought at least you would have figured it out by now."

Rangiku grabbed a marker of her own and walked over to Grimmjow who was still leaning against the wall. When she popped open the top and leaned towards Grimmjow's chest he stood up straight and held out his hand before the marker touched his shirt.

"What are you doing psycho?" he asked.

"Oh just move your hand silly. You'll see." Rangiku said and lowered the pen to his chest. She scribbled over the area for a few minutes and then stood up proudly to display her work. Covering the whole right hand corner of his shirt was a picture of a blue cat.

Ichigo burst out laughing first and then everyone else nervously joined in. When Grimmjow craned his neck and grabbed his shirt to stretch it up so he could get a better look at it he growled in his throat and stared darts at Rangiku who laughed loudly and skipped away to start passing out drinks.

Everyone was given a shot glass filled to the brim. Renji made a toast for the night before everyone lifted their glass and threw the alcohol down their throats.

"Ok so here's the game. Every time you want to write something on someone else's shirt you have to take a shot. Simple enough right?" Rangiku said.

"If that's the case then you need to take another shot," said Grimmjow as he walked over and started pouring another drink for Rangiku.

Ikkaku quickly walked up to Grimmjow and asked for a shot as well. Rangiku and him took their shots together and Ikkaku grabbed his pen and marched over to Yumichika. Everyone watched as he started scribbling something in the center of Yumichikas chest. Yumichika's face was full of anxiety as he tried to peer down at what Ikkaku was drawing.

When Ikkaku finally finished he backed away and grunted in appreciation. Smack dab in the middle of Yumichika's chest was a pretty decent caricature of Yumichika with a shiny bald head. People started busting out laughing and soon everyone was lining up for their shots so that they could create their masterpieces.

Renji of course went for Rukia first and Ichigo took his shot for the opportunity to write something on Renji's. Momo started in on Toshiro's shirt and Hisagi quickly grabbed up his pen to draw something on Kira's back.

When nearly everyone was busy either drawing or being drawn on, Uryu and Nanao stood silently by and watched everyone. Rangiku bounced over and grabbed Nanao's arm and dragged her over to the kitchen and handed her a shot.

Nanao resisted but Rangiku nearly poured the drink down her throat and then she marched Nanao over to stand in front of Uryu. "Nanao, this is Uryu Ishida. Uryu, this is Nanao. Start cribbling girl."

Reluctantly Nanao said, "Hi. What do you like to do?"

Uryu almost just as shyly replied, "Erm, well I'm a quincy. Oh and I like to make clothing."

Nanao's eyes widened when she thought of an idea and she pushed her glasses up to the bridge of her nose; she didn't notice that Uryu did the same thing at the exact same time. She nervously asked Uryu to turn around and started drawing something across his back. Ichigo moved behind Uryu and watched as Nanao put the finishing touches on Uryu's back.

"Nice one Nanao. It looks just like it," said Ichigo as Uryu tried to look over his shoulder at whatever it was that was drawn on his back.

Ichigo laughed at him and Uryu started to clench his fists at his sides. Nanao pressed her hands to Uryu's shoulders and led him to a mirror hanging nearby on the wall. He faced his back to the mirror and turned his head to look. Across his back was a giant blue quincy bow. He smiled.

Eventually Orihime walked over to take her own shot. She couldn't resist the opportunity to draw something on Ulquiorra. She threw back her drink and walked over to Ulquiorra with a green pen in her hand. Ulquiorra looked at her cautiously as she approached with a wicked grin on her face and wielding the pen like it was a zanpakuto. She pressed him to the wall and started moving the pen over his chiseled chest. When she backed away he looked down and saw an upside down bat with outstretched wings.

Orihime giggled and passed the marker over to Ulquiorra. He grabbed the pen from her and headed over to take his shot. At that point there was a line through the kitchen and people just started lining the shot glasses up and running the bottle over all of them.

As Ulquiorra was busy working on Orihime's shirt between her shoulder and her chest, Orihime watched as Grimmjow drew something on what little canvas was available on Rangiku's shirt. When his pen inevitably found its way to the curve of one of Rangiku's breasts, Orihime heard Rangiku laugh but didn't stop him.

Ulquiorra finished his drawing quickly and Orihime couldn't wait to see what he drew. The image was simple. A small silver bracelet glowed brightly from her shirt. She stared at the image for a moment and felt a warmth creep through her stomach. She lifted her head and smiled at Ulquiorra. It was perfect.

Soon after, Rukia grabbed Orihime's arm and made her sit on the floor next to her as Rukia leaned behind her, drawing something on her back. Orihime smiled when she saw Uryu sitting on the floor a few feet away with Nanao sitting primly between his legs as he drew something across her back.

On the other side of the room a few people appeared to have created a train of sorts. Renji sat crossed legged in front while Hisagi sat behind him. Behind Hisagi was Momo and then behind her was Kira followed by Yumichika and Rangiku.

As the night wore on, the drawings got sloppier and sloppier as people started drinking more and more. Eventually people gave up on the whole drawing thing and started writing stuff over each other. All in all it was a complete success and everyone was enjoying themselves.

Ichigo and Renji were laughing at something Grimmjow was saying and Rukia sat on the couch with Toshiro and Momo as they all three talked animatedly about something. Ikkaku, Yumichika, Hisagi and Kira huddled around each other like they were planning something evil. Uryu and Nanao were sitting against a wall still smiling shyly at each other as they whispered back and forth.

Orihime thought it was the perfect time to sneak a quick kiss in since everyone seemed preoccupied with whatever they were doing. She reached her hand up to Ulquiorra's neck and guided his head down to hers, pressing a quick kiss to his lips. Like always though, the kiss turned out to not be quick as the urge to deepen it surged through her. She pressed her lips against his and then heard a gasp come from several places in the room. The first person she saw as she broke her lips away from Ulquiorra's was Ichigo's who stood staring at them with his mouth hanging open. Grimmjow nudge him with his elbow and said, "Get used to it man. This is restrained for them." Ichigo just looked at Grimmjow as he said this so Grimmjow kicked his shin, producing a cry of pain from Ichigo as he grabbed his leg.

On the couch, Rukia had a pretty similar expression stretched across her face but she quickly covered it up and tried to smile at her blushing friend standing next to Ulquiorra.

When Rangiku joined them she grinned in that knowing way and bumped her breasts against Orihime. "Are you having a good time guys?" she asked.

They both nodded their heads and Rangiku smiled as she left them to head over to Grimmjow who still stood with Ichigo and Renji. "Hey boys!" she said.

Grimmjow reached behind him and grabbed a bottle of sake that was still half full. He took a quick swig straight from the bottle and passed it over to Rangiku. She tipped the bottle back and smiled up at Grimmjow as she said, "You're just going to get yourself completely wasted if you try to beat me."

Hisagi and Kira butted into the conversation and Hisagi soon added, "Yea. If you try to beat her you might end up half naked on the floor as she takes pictures of you for some stupid Shinigami Women's Association Fundraiser."

The group laughed and started passing the bottle around. Orihime grabbed Ulquiorra's arm and headed towards Rukia who still sat on the couch with Toshiro and Momo. They quickly included the two in their conversation and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

**I'm going to end this chapter here only because I really need to go to bed but this will not be the end of the party. More to come soon! As always, I hope you enjoyed. Please comment. I love them all.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

As the night wore on, everyone seemed to forget that Ulquiorra and Grimmjow had been mortal enemies just a few months ago.

The drinks were having their effect as you looked around the room and saw people leaning against each other and laughing louder than usual at silly jokes. Even the normally tense Captain Hitsugaya seemed to have loosened up as he talked animatedly to a small group of people.

Orihime observed the party as she walked back into her living room after taking a quick bathroom break. She spotted Ulquiorra sitting with Ichigo, Rukia, and Renji who were all sprawled out on the carpet. Ichigo called her over when he spotted her entering the room and Orihime took a seat between Ulquiorra and the man who'd just called her. Her balance seemed to shift on the way down from the alcohol and she swayed towards Ulquiorra accidentally and landed half on his lap and half on the floor. She quickly straightened herself up and sat properly on the floor but not before hearing a few jokes aimed at herself and Ulquiorra's now red face.

A few minutes later Rangiku stood up in the center of the room with an empty bottle in her hand. "Ok guys! Time to play 'spin the bottle'," she said bubbling up with excitement.

A bunch of groans rang out through the room which caused Rangiku to place her hands on her ample hips and pout. "You guys always complain about this but you know that secretly you are dying to play."

Sure enough, everyone started creating a large circle in the center of the room. Rangiku placed the bottle in the middle of the circle and stepped back to take a seat between Grimmjow and Ikkaku. She leaned over to Grimmjow and bumped his side with her shoulder, a wicked grin on her face.

"You go first blueberry," said Rangiku.

Grimmjow just looked at the woman with his eyebrows drawn together in a questioning look.

"Do I have to show you everything?" Rangiku said, sighing in exasperation. She leaned forward and crawled a few steps to grab the bottle on her hands and knees, affording Grimmjow a pleasurable view of her backside. She turned her head to the side and looked back at him, spinning the bottle on its side slowly. "That's all you do."

When the bottle stopped moving he just continued to look at her like she was a total psychopath. "Exciting game," he said sarcastically.

Rangiku groaned and continued explaining in further detail, "When the bottle stops, you have to kiss whoever the bottle is pointing to." She got back up and crawled over to Rukia across the way which the bottle was pointing to at the moment and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

Grimmjow's eyes widened and asked, "But what if the bottle lands on a guy?"

Rangiku laughed and sat back in her spot. "You have to do what I just did. If it's a girl though you have to kiss them on the lips… tongue optional," she smirked.

Grimmjow made a grossed out face and looked around the circle. "But that's not fair. There's more guys here than girls." The rest of the men grunted to show they agreed with him.

"You guys plan the party then next time," Rangiku said and then pushed at Grimmjow's shoulders to get him to move forward.

Grimmjow hesitantly grabbed the bottle and twisted his hand to start it spinning. He sat back and watched as it turned around the group. As it slowed down he subconsciously leaned forward and looked up when it stopped.

"Ah what the hell? Why does it always have to happen to me?" yelled Ichigo as he slapped his hand over his face.

"Oh come on. You can't possibly make me kiss Ichigo," said Grimmjow.

Rangiku laughed as well as a few other people around the room. She pushed Grimmjow forward and he had to catch himself with his hands to keep from landing on his face.

With a groan, Grimmjow crawled across the circle and stopped in front of Ichigo. Rukia was smiling widely on Ichigo's one side and on the other side was Ulquiorra who looked on at the situation in fright. When Grimmjow leaned forward, Ichigo drew back with a look of revulsion and turned his face to let Grimmjow press his lips quickly on his cheek.

As Grimmjow leaned back away from Ichigo who sat rubbing his cheek to get rid of the kiss, Grimmjow smirked and said, "You know you liked it Shinigami."

"You wish," answered Ichigo.

When Grimmjow sat back in his spot, Rangiku pointed to Uryu who was sitting on Grimmjow's right. Uryu grudgingly leaned forward and spun the bottle. Before it had taken two turns, Rangiku stuck her foot out and stopped it to face Nanao.

"Matsumoto, you're cheating," said Toshiro in an aggravated voice.

"I have no idea what you are talking about Taicho," Rangiku said and leaned forward to watch Uryu. "

Nanao was already sitting on Uryu's other side so he only had to turn his body slightly to the right in order to face her. He leaned down slowly and kissed Nanao gently on the lips and picked his head up abruptly as a blush spread across both of their faces. Rangiku clapped happily and said, "Nanao is supposed to be next but she seems a bit preoccupied so Renji, you're up."

Nanao was busy staring at Uryu and didn't even notice when Renji leaned forward and took his turn. Renji smiled when the bottle pointed to Orihime.

"Try to hide your disappointment Ichigo," Renji said as he moved in front of Orihime and planted a firm kiss on her lips.

At Orihime's side, Ulquiorra tensed as he watched the red head press his lips to the woman's. His hands clenched into fists in his lap but when Renji leaned back and quickly sat back in his seat, Orihime reached a hand out and grasped one of Ulquiorra's reassuringly.

Rukia was next and as the bottle spun, several eyes were glued on the bottle till it stopped.

"Sweet!" said Hisagi as the bottle stopped to point at him. Everyone watched as Rukia slid across the floor and leaned forward to kiss him. Hisagi leaned back as her lips were about to touch his and Rukia lost her balance, falling forward. He grabbed her as she fell and kissed her, his mouth pressing against hers and opening to try and slip his tongue through her lips. Rukia pulled back and laughed while behind her, several guys were growing agitated.

"Almost got a good one there," said Rangiku as she motioned for Ichigo to take his turn.

Ichigo's mouth was set in a thin line as he leaned forward and spun the glass bottle. He groaned when the bottle pointed to a shiny bald head. "Why does my luck suck so badly?" He did his duty quickly and sat back an instant later with his arms crossed over his chest.

Ikkaku was sitting just as stiffly as Ichigo while Yumichika laughed at him by his side.

Up next was Ulquiorra who stared at the bottle like it was about to bite him. Tentatively his hand reached out and touched the bottle, spinning it quickly and moving back to watch it. When it stopped, Rangiku cheered and beckoned him with a finger. He stared at the bosomy woman across from him and gulped audibly beside Orihime.

Orihime squeezed his hand and let go, watching Ulquiorra drag his body across the circle and stopped in front of Rangiku. Before he even moved, a hand reached out and grabbed his shirt beneath the neckline and pulled him quickly in for a chaste kiss. He hurried back to his seat next to Orihime and turned to look at her as she smiled sweetly at him and took his hand again.

The game progressed around the circle, each taking a turn. When they finished a complete circle, they all stood and took another shot together.

Ulquiorra felt his head begin to swim and his eyes kept searching out Orihime who stood across the room talking to Uryu and Nanao. She smiled when her eyes met his and she turned quickly to say something to Uryu before she started walking towards him. Her hands grabbed his and led him out of the kitchen to the hallway.

Standing in the shadows they kissed each other and she wrapped her arms around his neck to press herself closer to him. His hands slid down her back to curve over her backside and dug his fingers into the succulent flesh. Her body arched into his and she fell forward, pressing Ulquiorra back into the wall.

They were both startled when Renji walked out of the bathroom which was right next to where they were standing. Renji's eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the two bodies pressed tightly together in a compromising position.

When Rukia called for Renji from the other room, he grinned and walked away from Orihime and Ulquiorra who still stood wrapped around each other.

Orihime laughed nervously when he was gone and loosened her hold on Ulquiorra's neck. A second later, Rangiku called for her from the other room.

"Over here Rangiku-san," said Orihime as she popped around the corner.

Rangiku skipped over to Orihime and pointed to a spot on the far side of the room. When Orihime looked in that direction she saw Uryu kissing Nanao in a much different way than earlier during the game. She smiled at Rangiku and said, "Wow you're good! You should be the official Shinigami match maker."

Rangiku laughed and then said, "I try to be but most people don't like my choices."

A little bit later, Kira, Hisagi, Toshiro, Momo, Ikkaku and Yumichika all got up and started grabbing their shirts to leave. They thanked them for the party and said they were heading back to the soul society. Rangiku moaned in disappointment.

The group said their good byes and then Uryu and Nanao got up and also said good bye to Orihime and Rangiku. They left quietly and Ichigo came over after they left to say, "Uryu hooking up with a girl… who'd have thought."

Orihime said, "I'm happy for him. He's always so serious."

"Yea but it's still weird to think about. Anyway, we're gonna head out too. Rukia and Renji are gonna stay at my place tonight because they wanna go to the beach tomorrow. Do you guys wanna come?" asked Ichigo.

Rukia ran up behind Ichigo and said, "Oh please Orihime. It would be so great to go together."

"Yea of course. It sounds like a lot of fun. We'll be there," said Orihime excitedly.

"We'll be where?" asked Grimmjow as he stepped up to the group.

"We're all going to the beach tomorrow!" answered Rangiku with a smile.

"Mkay," he said and then said good bye to the rest of the group as they left.

After everyone was gone Rangiku clapped excitedly and said, "That was so much fun! I can't wait until tomorrow. I'll get to wear my new red bathing suit!"

Orihime felt Ulquiorra walk up behind her and put an arm around her waist and kiss her hair. She put her arm over his and relaxed into his body.

Grimmjow walked into the bathroom and emerged a minute later with his pajama bottoms on and then threw his dirty clothes into the laundry room as he went by. "Do you want the couch again psycho?" he asked Rangiku.

Rangiku took a few seconds to answer as she admired his bare chest and then nodded.

"Ok guys, we're gonna go to bed too. We'll see you in the morning!" Orihime said and yawned as she started walking towards her room with Ulquiorra by her side.

Out in the living room, Rangiku grabbed her own pajamas and quickly changed in the bathroom. When she walked back out to the living room, Grimmjow was sprawled out on the floor next to the couch. He was lying on his stomach and the sheet only came up to his lower back so Rangiku got a stunning view of his muscular back and broad shoulders. His arms were raised above his head to cradle his head underneath the pillow.

'She hadn't thought this way about a man in a long time,' she thought to herself. She had loved Gin since she was a child and although she was very promiscuous she never acted on any of the flirtatious remarks she made. Gin was the reason that she had been given this time off. Her captain knew she had been struggling for months to control the grief of his loss. She had spent weeks wandering aimlessly through soul society; watching as her captain pushed himself harder and harder every day to get stronger.

Slowly she had come to accept Gin's death. Her mind was still filled with thoughts of him though while she started to train every day. When Renji had started to join in on her training sessions to push his own bankai further, the thoughts started to slowly fade away but never truly left her.

Standing in the living room, Rangiku sighed and stepped over the gorgeous body to lie down on the couch. Sleep found her quickly.

XxXxXxX

Back in Orihime's room, the two changed into their night clothes and jumped into bed together. Orihime slid to the far side of the bed and grabbed the blankets up close to her as she giggled to avoid Ulquiorra's searching hand. When his hand tried to seize one of hers she quickly snatched it away and threw it behind her back.

Ulquiorra gave up on trying to pull her to him so instead he slid over to her side and brought his face down to kiss her lips. Orihime moved her head to the side quickly and his lips landed on her cheek. After another few attempts he lifted his head and looked at her beautiful face. She was smiling brightly and apparently enjoying this little game she was playing. He decided to play dirty and leaned his head forward to lick her neck. When she tried to wiggle away again he grabbed her waist and pushed her beneath him, pinning her down against the mattress. His mouth quickly descended again and found the skin below her collarbone. He licked his way up her neck and slowly started to run his tongue around the outside of her ear.

When his lips found hers, Orihime twisted her fingers in his hair and she moaned into his mouth as his tongue sought out hers. Ulquiorra pulled his head back to look into Orihime's passion filled eyes. The smile she gave him made his insides curl and he allowed himself to smile shyly back.

Orihime was so stunned that she forgot to breathe for a few seconds. The arms that were wrapped around his neck became limp but remained hanging there where her fingers were locked together. Another moment later she tightened her grasp and raised herself up to lock her lips to his. She pushed him back on the mattress and threw herself on top of him. She began kissing every exposed patch of skin she could find and threw his hands away whenever he tried to return the caresses.

When his hands reached up again to try to grab her waist she caught the hands and pushed them over his head. Her lips hungrily devoured his while she pressed his wrists into the pillow above his head. She slid her fingers down his arms and ran them over his shoulders. When he tried to lift his arms back up she grabbed them again with one hand and pushed them back on the pillow, shaking her head.

After she released his hands she sat down across his hips and reached her hands down to pull her shirt over her head. She watched his eyes lower to her bare breasts and his hands grabbed the pillow but didn't move otherwise. When her lips glided over his neck and her tongue made patterns over his pale skin she heard him groan and felt him tense up beneath her. Her mouth descended over his chest and stomach and then ran along the waistband of his pajama bottoms. She curled her fingers underneath the fabric and started to slowly pull his pants down over his hips and down his legs.

After they were completely off she threw them to the floor and stood up to take her own shorts off. She quickly returned to the bed and kneeled between his legs. Her fingers ran up the insides of his thighs and were soon replaced by her mouth as she moved her lips up the inside of his right thigh. When her fingers grasped his hard shaft she started pumping slowly while her lips wrapped around one of his testicles.

She felt a hand run in her hair and she quickly looked up and shook her head.

He sighed and removed his hand to bring it back to the other hand above his head. When her lips returned, he groaned and reached farther up to grab at the bars on her headboard. Her hand continued its assault on his erection and he could feel himself coming close to the edge. He wanted to cum inside her though so he suppressed the urge as best he could while she slowly tortured him. When he knew he couldn't take it anymore he grabbed her by the shoulders and slid her up his body. His hand reached between the two of them and guided his hard member to her entrance.

Upon finding her hot core he wrapped his arms around her and pushed up till he was deep inside. He rolled them over till he was lying on top of her and started moving his hips in a quickening rhythm.

Orihime was panting beneath his hard body. When she felt his hand reach down and stroke her clit she cried out and raked her fingernails down his chest. His fingers played with her while he listened to her moans and whimpers. As he saw her climax approaching he removed his fingers and shoved himself deeply inside her.

She nearly screamed when her release finally came and it didn't take long for him to find his own.

XxXxXxX

When morning started to peak through the windows, Rangiku cracked open an eye and looked around the room. Leaning against the counter on the far side of the room was Grimmjow with a glass held in his hand. He threw back the last of its contents down his throat and walked over to place the glass in the sink.

Rangiku watched as he walked around the island in the kitchen and sauntered towards the pile of blankets that was his bed last night. The blue and green plaid pants hung low on his narrow hips and Rangiku wondered how they even managed to stay on. When he looked up and noticed the woman staring at him on the couch he straightened up and reached a hand down to scratch at a non-existent itch just under the waist band of his pants. As expected, her eyes followed his hand and he grinned as he slid his hand out of his pants and said, "See something you like?"

The strawberry blonde snapped out of her daze and looked up at the blue eyes that smiled at her. Not one to be outdone she lifts herself up and sits on the couch with her legs tucked underneath her. She stretches her arms above her head and arches her back to loosen the tense muscles of her back. One hand moves down and rubs the tendons of her neck and then moves down her shoulder to slide under the strap of her thin top and starts to massage the muscles there. The strap falls off her shoulder and the material barely hangs on and reveals a large portion of her creamy white breasts while she grabs the strap with her other hand and pushes it back on her shoulder.

When she notices his eyes were glued to her chest she stands up and takes a step toward Grimmjow. As she walks by him she says, "Two can play at that game sexy."

A few minutes later, Orihime and Ulquiorra emerge from their room and sit down to eat breakfast.

"Looks like it's going to be a nice day for the beach," comments Orihime when she sees Rangiku walk out of the bathroom in a pink sundress.

"Oh I can't wait! It's going to be so much fun!" said Rangiku while she started packing up towels and blankets to bring with them.

When they were all finished getting dressed, Orihime threw the last can of soda into the cooler and locked the top. Ulquiorra and Grimmjow each grabbed a side and started carrying it out of the apartment while Orihime and Rangiku grabbed the bags of towels and blankets.

They walked to the bus stop and jumped on the first bus that came through a few minutes later. When they got to the beach they didn't see Ichigo, Rukia or Renji so they picked out a spot and laid out their blankets.

Both men watched the girls as they lifted their dresses over their heads to stand in only their bikinis. Orihime was wearing a lime green suit with white flowers and Rangiku's suit was a blood red with black piping. Ulquiorra reached out a hand and pulled Orihime against him to give her a quick kiss that inevitably turned into a long, lingering exploration of each other's mouths.

Rangiku just laughed and grabbed Grimmjow's hand as she ran towards the water. They dove in and watched as Orihime and Ulquiorra finally broke apart and started walking towards the water. When they finally caught up to them, Rangiku splashed Orihime and the two started giggling as they launched wave after wave of water towards the other.

Ulquiorra and Grimmjow stood side by side and watched the two women. When Rangiku jumped forward and tackled Orihime backwards into a wave, both men's eyes widened when it looked like both ladies were about to lose their tops. Somehow they managed to stay on and Grimmjow couldn't help the grunt of disappointment that escaped his lips.

"Hey guys! How's the water?" Ichigo called out from the shore as him, Rukia and Renji walked towards them.

"Heya! It's great!" called out Rangiku while she adjusted her top.

The three started jogging forward and Renji stuck out a leg to trip up Ichigo who ended up splashing into the knee deep water. Ichigo quickly got on his feet and launched himself onto Renji's back and dunked him under. Rukia just quietly walked by the two and joined the ladies.

They all watched as Ichigo and Renji traded blows and eventually Grimmjow couldn't help himself and joined in, sneaking up behind Renji and pushing his head and shoulders under the water. The girls laughed and Orihime moved to stand in front of Ulquiorra while he put his arms around her waist.

When the three finally stopped, Ichigo turned and saw Ulquiorra with his arms around Orihime and he stared at the two for a second before shaking his head and saying, "That's going to take a while for me to get used to."

The group played in the water for a while then walked out to get drinks and a snack. Ichigo, Rukia and Renji all shared a blanket while Orihime shared one with Ulquiorra and Rangiku shared one with Grimmjow. Orihime and Ulquiorra laid down over theirs and whispered back and forth between them. Rangiku passed apples out to everyone and watched as Grimmjow bit down into his, her eyes following a drop of juice that dripped down his chin and landed on his chest. Her tongue ran along her bottom lip as she watched the juice travel over his sculptured chest.

"I'm surprised Hitsugaya gave you time off," said Rukia as she bit into her own apple.

Rangiku blinked her eyes and turned to answer Rukia, "Yea, he's been a little more lenient lately since the whole Aizen incident."

When they finished their snacks, everyone laid out and enjoyed the sun on their skin. Rangiku couldn't help but notice the presence of the man beside her and turned her head to look over at him. His arms were cradling his head while his eyes were closed and his lean stomach rose and feel with his breathes. She let her eyes wander over his body and started to stare at his stomach as a few beads of sweat were forming and began to slide down his side.

When she heard a chuckle she tore her gaze away and saw Grimmjow looking at her gawking face. After being caught this time she just lay back with a huff and closed her eyes tightly. 'Why did he have to be so damn sexy?' she thought.

On the other blanket, Ulquiorra ran his fingers over Orihime's slightly flushed cheek as they lay side by side. When his fingers drifted over her lips she pressed a kiss to each tip and smiled when Ulquiorra leaned forward to press his lips to hers. Orihime couldn't remember being so happy. If only there wasn't this nagging fear in her mind that he would one day leave her to go back to Hueco Mundo.

"What are you thinking about Inoue?" Ulquiorra asked when a shadow seemed to cross her eyes.

"It's nothing. I'm just so happy with you," she answered.

Ulquiorra felt his stomach flutter at her words but he couldn't forget the look she had had just a moment before.

The afternoon went by quickly and they were all exhausted by the end of the day. Rukia and Renji went back with Ichigo and the other four headed back to Orihime's place. Rangiku took a shower first and then Grimmjow took his next. Orihime and Ulquiorra took theirs together and the two out in the living room didn't even bother to wait for them to finish before making themselves dinner and sitting down to watch a movie.

Rangiku sat in the corner of the couch with her knees pulled up to her chest while Grimmjow leaned back in the other corner with one leg bent on the cushion and the other stretched out in front of him to the ground. He was wearing just his pajama pants again which seemed to be his clothing of choice when lounging around the house. Rangiku couldn't help but let her eyes travel over that hard body every few minutes while he watched the movie. When his hand rubbed at the muscles of his chest she wondered if he did it on purpose. It was like he knew exactly what would turn her on.

She decided to not look at him anymore and concentrated on the movie. She had a difficult time but somehow manages until he moved suddenly on the couch and laid his body out over the cushions and leaned his shoulders against her legs that were still tucked against her chest.

"Your knees are digging into my back. Can you move them please?" Grimmjow asked.

Rangiku's eyes widened as she stared at the back of his head. She moved her legs to either side of his body and let him lay himself down, resting his head in her lap. Rangiku was beyond her experience at this point. Her relationship with Gin had always been a spur of the moment type of thing. They had always been very secretive about their relationship so most of their intimacy had come in quick moments of passion in dark hallways or tiny closets.

She didn't quite know what to do with her hands so she let one arm rest on the side of the couch and the other which was pressed against the back of the couch she placed on her leg.

The messy light blue hair in front of her nearly begged for her fingers to comb through their tangled strands. Before she even realized it, the hand that had been lying on her thigh lifted up and sifted through the thick hair. She was surprised by how soft it felt beneath her fingers while she pulled out knot after knot. When his hair was free of tangles, she ran her fingernails over his scalp and listened as he nearly purred in her lap. Her stomach grew warm at the sound.

When they heard the door from the other room open, Rangiku jumped and was alarmed when the man in her lap didn't budge. She pushed at his shoulders but he only laughed and squirmed to get more comfortable. Before she knew it, Orihime and Ulquiorra walked out into the living room and headed towards the kitchen. The two didn't seem overly surprised by the position of the couple on the couch. Rangiku supposed it wasn't as bad as it seemed. 'If they knew where her thoughts were though it would be a whole different story,' she thought.

"What are you guys watching?" Orihime asked as her and Ulquiorra walked into the living area with a bowl each in their hands.

"Some suspense thriller thing. It's kinda lame," commented Grimmjow.

The group sat comfortably and watched the rest of the movie together. Orihime sat on the floor between Ulquiorra's legs who was sitting on the plush recliner. Rangiku's hands itched to run through the blue hair again but she resisted the urge while her friend was out there. When she noticed Ulquiorra's hands start running over Orihime's shoulders and neck, she knew it wouldn't be long before the two went back to their room.

Sure enough, a few minutes later Orihime said she was tired and the two left to go to bed. Rangiku laughed as the couple departed and she shifted her weight slightly on the couch. Grimmjow adjusted his body too and now his head snuggled nicely against her stomach, just beneath her breasts.

When Grimmjow's hand lifted from his side and reached up to grab hers and place it back on his head, she smiled to herself and started sifting her fingers back through the soft locks. As her fingers trailed over his sideburns she let them continue their path down along the side of his face to his jaw line where she traced it around to the point of his chin. She lifted her hand to bring it back to his hair but as she passed over Grimmjow's mouth he lifted his head and bit her fingers lightly with his teeth.

Rangiku gasped and when his tongue circled the tip of her middle finger she sucked in her breath. She pulled her fingers out of his mouth and looked at them like they were on fire. When she felt him shift on her lap and turn over she looked up at his beautiful blue eyes as he lifted himself up on his hands and knees. His hands were fisted on either side of her waist, pressing into the plush cushion and his face crept slowly closer and closer to hers. His eyes had a devilish sort of look in them as he grinned at her and crept closer still. When he was mere inches from her face, Grimmjow paused and moved a knee up between Rangiku's legs and pressed it against the juncture of her thighs.

She sucked in a breath and widened her eyes when she felt his leg press against her. His face started to move slowly towards her again and when he was just a breath away he slid his tongue out and licked the top of her lip. When Rangiku moved her head forward to press her lips to his he pulled back an inch which caused her to open her eyes and look at him. She leaned forward to try and kiss him again and once again he moved back out of her reach.

Her eyes narrowed and she leaned back against the couch as he laughed evilly at her. When he started to lean forward again she clenched the cushions at her sides till her knuckles turned white. His face hovered above hers for what seemed like an eternity and then slowly his lips brushed against hers ever so lightly. He teasingly kissed around her lips and then nipped at her lower lip with his teeth. As he pulled back he saw Rangiku's yearning face and chuckled.

Rangiku opened her eyes when she heard him laugh and watched as he lifted himself off of the couch and walked to the kitchen to get himself a drink. She felt frustration bubbling up inside her which quickly turned to anger at the blue haired man whose back was turned to her as he filled up his glass with some yellow liquid. When he walked back to the couch, he took a long swig of the drink and then placed the glass down on the side table next to the arm of the couch on the side Rangiku was sitting. He reached his other arm out to brace himself against the back of the couch next to Rangiku's head, ensnaring her within his outstretched arms. His knee sunk into the cushion between her legs and he grabbed the glass from off of the table. He lifted the glass to Rangiku's lips and tipped it back to let a few drops slide down her throat.

Her eyes were locked on his as he lifted the glass from her lips and took a long drink himself. She watched as his thick neck stretched back and his adams apple bobbed up and down slowly as he gulped. When he placed the glass back against her lips she tilted her head back slightly to allow him to pour more out and she gulped it down while her eyes were still locked with his.

This time he placed the glass back on the side table and then moved his arm to grasp the side of the couch near Rangiku's left shoulder. He leaned forward and pressed his lips firmly against hers. His mouth slanted across hers and his tongue slid across her lips to beg for entrance. When she parted her lips slightly he dove inside and slid his tongue against hers. Rangiku moaned at the intrusion and tilted her head back to give him more access.

Grimmjow took full advantage and ravished her mouth with his. Their mouths tugged and nipped at each others till they were both breathing heavy. Eventually Grimmjow lifted his head and looked down at the bosomy woman beneath him. She stared at him with those sky blue eyes and he pressed his forehead to hers and sighed loudly.

A few moments later he stood up and watched as Rangiku also got up and walked across the room to the hallway. She turned the corner and he could hear the bathroom door shut quietly. He lay down on the thin mattress and stared at the ceiling until he heard the door open back up and saw the woman walk into the room. She was wearing her pajamas now which was a thin yellow nightgown that barely covered her backside as she walked across the room.

When she lay down on the couch, she turned her body to face the back of the couch and pulled the sheet in front of her. Grimmjow stared at the shapely legs and groaned to himself, 'This is going to be a long night.'


	10. Chapter 10

**I just can't help myself with this whole Grimmjow thing. He is so fricken hot and I'm excited with the recent manga. When I read around the site it's hard to find any stories of Grimmjow where he's not gay and oh man, that to me is such a horrible tragedy for women. Not that I don't enjoy some of those stories but I prefer a hetero Grimmjow. **

**Chapter 10**

Ulquiorra awoke to the feeling of tiny fingers trailing down his stomach. The fingers stopped and played there for a while, teasingly running over every muscle and tendon. When the fingers slid under his waist band and slowly glided down, Ulquiorra sucked in his breath at the first brush of skin against the head of his penis. The fingers wrapped around his shaft and started to slowly rub up and down.

Orihime leaned over and kissed Ulquiorra when he turned his head in her direction. Their mouths explored one another as her hand continued its caress. His fingers delved into her thick hair and his mouth deepened the pressure of their kiss. When her fingers increased their grip he groaned and pushed his hips further into her grasp.

The hand in her hair cradled her head as he rolled her over onto her back, laying his body over hers and continuing the heady kiss. He trailed his lips over her chin and down her neck, spending his time licking every sweet inch as he went. Her hand left his groin and moved around to grasp his tight buttocks as he lifted his head and kissed her again on the lips.

They stared at each other for a few moments, drinking in the sight of the other's lust filled eyes.

"Ulqui… I…," Orihime tried to say something but bit her lip and shook her head when his green eyes stared at her questioningly.

"Is everything ok?" Ulquiorra asked when he saw a strange look cross the woman's face.

She nodded her head and reached her hands up to bring his face down to hers for a searing kiss. They shed their clothing and melded their bodies together in a sweet harmony of flesh. Orihime pressed his body tightly to hers and she let herself go when her orgasm came. Ulquiorra soon joined her and they lay together in each others arms. The arms around Ulquiorra tightened even more and he heard a small sniffle come from the woman beneath him.

He raised his head and she dug her face in his shoulder. When he tried to lift his body from hers to see what was wrong she only tightened her grip and shook her head against his neck. The arms around him eventually started to loosen and he raised himself to look down at the woman. He moved onto his side and ran his hand along her cheek and brushed away a few tears from the corner or her eyes.

She smiled up at him and hiccupped which caused her to laugh quietly.

"What's wrong woman?" Ulquiorra asked with concern.

Orihime shook her head and then smiled again, "It's nothing, really. And call me Orihime."

"Ok, Orihime," he tried out the name on his lips. He liked it.

When they got up and started getting dressed, Ulquiorra couldn't let go of the feeling that something was wrong. He watched her throw on a tight fitting shirt and khaki shorts. She seemed ok now but he knew there was something bothering her. He walked over to her when they were both finished changing and placed one hand behind her back and the other beneath her chin to lift her face to his. He kissed her sweetly and asked again, "Please tell me what's wrong Orihime."

Silver eyes looked up into green ones and she said, "I just… I don't want you to leave."

He crushed her body to his in a tight embrace when he saw another tear escape her eyes. "I don't want to leave," he whispered in her ear. He felt a shudder pass through her body and he tightened his hold on her, running his hands through her silky locks.

They stood that way for several minutes, holding each other tight. Neither wanted to break the embrace but finally Orihime loosened her hold on him and smiled through watery eyes. "So what do you want to do today?" she asked, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

Ulquiorra rubbed the lingering tears off her face and said, "Whatever you want."

In the other room, Rangiku was slowly opening her eyes. Her back was stiff from the couch and she arched herself up and rubbed a hand over her sore muscles. When she turned her head to the side to look into the rest of the room, lying on the ground was Grimmjow. His blanket had fallen off him during the night, giving her a mouth watering view of his back. As her eyes traveled down the length of his exposed skin, following the line of his spine she licked her lips when her eyes encountered slightly paler skin above his pants. His pajama bottoms had been tugged down a small amount, revealing the beginning of the upward curve from his waist to his buttocks.

When Grimmjow shifted in his sleep she quickly averted her eyes and pulled the blankets up around her chest. After a few seconds, she peeked an eye to the side and saw that he was still asleep. He had rolled over, onto his side facing her and his head rested on his arm.

She rolled off of the couch and crawled quietly over to Grimmjow, stopping just a foot away. Her hand reached out and hovered over his side, wanting desperately to touch the flesh beneath. Slowly she lowered her hand and ran it gently over his smooth skin, looking at his face to see if he woke up. When his eyes didn't open, she boldly moved her hand down his small waist and up over the slight rise of his hips. She moved her eyes to her hands and she bit her lower lip when her fingers slid down from his side across his flat stomach. When his body shifted under her fingers and lay back, she snatched her hand away and looked quickly at his face. His eyes were still closed and a few strands of hair fell over his forehead.

Cautiously she reached her hand out again and placed it on his flat stomach. The skin beneath her hands was smooth and she traced the slight bumps of his abs. Her eyes scanned over his muscular chest and dipped down to watch her fingers as they played over the ridges and dips in his stomach. She was so engrossed in what she was doing that she didn't notice the hand that was slowly moving towards her.

Grimmjow watched as the woman kneeled beside him and caressed his stomach. He had awoken immediately when he'd felt her touch his side a few minutes ago. When her hand had started to travel farther he had rolled over to allow her better access. With his one hand he slowly reached out towards her kneeling form. Her nightgown barely covered her hips as she leaned forward and he lifted his hand and slid it up the back of her thigh and under the fabric.

Rangiku nearly jumped out of her skin at the contact and flew backwards, grabbing her nightgown and covering as much of her body as she could as she pressed her back against the couch. An instant later Grimmjow was on his hands and knees and he was prowling towards her, grinning in his usual manner. When he stopped in front of her, he placed his hands on either side of her on the couch and leaned forward, pressing his hot lips to hers. He removed one hand from the couch and slid it down her shapely side till he ran into the edge of her nightgown. His fingers delved beneath and ran up her hip, grabbing the soft skin and leaning her back to take more of his kiss.

The hand at her hip moved to the small of her back and he lifted her easily to slide her body to sit on his thighs. Her legs were spread on either side of his hips as he leaned forward again and slipped his tongue into her mouth. His right hand moved back beneath her nightgown to grasp her rounded bottom and with his left he slid it under her shoulders to arch her back, lifting her chest towards his. When he released her mouth he trailed his tongue down her neck and started kissing the flesh above the neckline of her garment.

Rangiku responded and threw her head back; savoring the feeling of everything he was doing to her. She felt the fingers beneath her gown grasp tightly at her behind and then slowly moved to the crack. His fingers ran down until they found the entrance to her womanhood. He pressed the tip of one finger inside her and she gasped and jumped off his lap and back on the couch. She watched him chuckle and then extend his arms to her hips, sliding her forward till she was pressed against his hips. His right hand slid back up the inside of her nightgown and moved up till his fingers came in contact with a plump bosom.

When his fingers found the hard nipple he ran his thumb around it and then pinched the sensitive flesh gently. Rangiku's legs lifted and hooked around his hips and her hands ran over his shoulders in broad sweeps. He started to kiss her again and her head swam with feelings she hadn't felt in a long time.

Suddenly they heard the door open down the hall and they quickly released each other. Grimmjow stood up, and smirked at Rangiku who was busy trying to straighten the nightgown to some semblance of decency.

"Good Morning!" cried Orihime as she entered the room with Ulquiorra behind her. The two didn't seem to notice Rangiku's flushed face and just went about making their breakfasts.

"Mornin' Princess," said Grimmjow as he casually walked to the kitchen and grabbed the box from Orihime as she finished filling her bowl.

"So what did you want to do today Rangiku-san?" asked Orihime, taking a seat on a nearby chair and folding her legs beneath her.

Rangiku grabbed the sheets around her and stood up as she said, "I need to take a bath first but I'd like to go shopping again since I spent most of the other day getting stuff for the party."

"Ok, that sounds fun," said Orihime as she watched Rangiku shuffle out of the living room, into the hallway.

"I promised to meet Ichigo and his sisters again this evening at the park," said Grimmjow a little while later as he shoved the last few bites of his breakfast into his mouth.

"That'll be perfect. When we finish shopping, we can all go to the park together," said Orihime.

Grimmjow groaned and said, "Shopping… do we have to go shopping?"

At that moment Rangiku stepped out of the bathroom and said, "Yes we all have to go shopping. Most men don't complain about watching me model for them."

Orihime giggled and said, "I think I'm gonna get a few things too. I took Grimmjow shopping the other day but I didn't look at anything for myself. It's been forever since I've gotten anything new."

The four finished getting ready and left a little while later. Grimmjow and Ulquiorra walked behind the two girls as they practically skipped down the sidewalk to the shopping district. They entered their first store and watched as the girls loaded their arms with clothes. When it came time to try everything on, Ulquiorra and Grimmjow took a seat in front of the two doors the girls were changing inside of in the dressing room. They both bounced out of their rooms and turned to comment on the others outfit. The two men were little help through the process, eliciting little more than soft grunts here and there when asked their opinions.

A few hours later, Ulquiorra and Grimmjow dragged their feet down the street behind the two bubbly women, arms loaded with bags. The girls turned into another shop and Grimmjow whined, "More clothes… how can you possibly need so much?"

Rangiku poked her head outside the doorway and said, "This isn't a clothing store. It's a restaurant. Come on guys! We're starved!"

The men perked up a little and walked into the restaurant. A little bit later they all left the restaurant happy and full. They headed home as evening approached and when they finally walked into Orihime's living room the two men slumped onto the couch and let out simultaneous moans.

Orihime laughed at them and took her bags to her room to put everything away. Rangiku moved her bags over to the corner where she had her other stuff piled up and then took a seat in the recliner by the couch. When Orihime returned she found all three bodies passed out in her living room. She smiled as she looked at Ulquiorra and saw that Grimmjow was about to fall to his side and land in Ulquiorra's lap. She laughed quietly when she saw his head bounce on Ulquiorra's thigh and continued to sleep. 'She should take a picture,' she thought.

Walking over to her desk, she pulled out a drawer and found her camera. She quickly took a few pictures of her sleeping friends and put the camera away.

Not tired at all, Orihime decided to do a little cleaning around her place. While she was scrubbing her kitchen counter she heard Ulquiorra say, "Grimmjow, what are you doing?"

Orihime lifted her head to watch as Grimmjow opened his eyes and looked down at the leg beneath the side of his face. He bolted upright and made a horror stricken face as he registered who it was he had been lying on. She couldn't contain the laugh that broke out of her mouth as she watched the two. Ulquiorra looked like he wanted to disinfect his leg and Grimmjow looked about ready to do the same thing with his cheek.

"Aww, you guys looked so cute," she said and watched while Ulquiorra got up from the couch and walked across the room to stand at her side. He leaned down and kissed her quickly on the lips.

"Nothing involving Grimmjow is cute," he said and wrapped his arms around her waist while she continued to scrub the counter. He kissed the back of her neck, causing Orihime to giggle and swat him away so that she could finish what she was doing.

Rangiku stood up and stretched while she yawned loudly. "How long was I out for?" she asked.

"Not long; maybe 45 minutes at most," answered Orihime.

Grimmjow looked at the clock and said, "Just in time to meet Ichigo."

Orihime finished what she was doing and then followed the group as they left her place. It didn't take long for them to meet up with Ichigo and his sisters. They were already passing the ball between them and Ichigo kicked the ball towards Grimmjow when he saw them approaching.

"Hey guys!" he said when they all walked up.

Grimmjow was already standing between Yuzu and Karin as the rest of the group spread out.

Orihime watched as Ulquiorra started to loosen up more and more around people. When Karin dove towards him to catch the ball out of turn he actually laughed as he caught the small girl and they both fell to the ground. Orihime's stomach filled with a warmth she had never felt before as she listened to him.

They played like always until the sun started to set at which point the two groups said good bye and headed towards their homes. Rangiku and Orihime walked side by side down the street and watched the two men in front of them who were actually having a conversation of their own.

"So what do you think of Grimmjow?" Orihime asked Rangiku. She hadn't been completely blind of the flirting that had been going on between the two.

"Mmm," said Rangiku as she stared forward at Grimmjow's back.

Orihime laughed and listened as Rangiku said, "He's really fun. Drives me a bit nuts though but he keeps my mind off of other things."

They walked a little ways in silence before Rangiku said, "Gin and mines relationship was very… different than most relationships. He was never one for public displays and most people didn't even know we were together. As close as I thought we were, it hurt deeply when he left with Aizen. I knew he had his own reasons but it still hurt that he didn't trust me enough to tell me. When he died I felt a part of myself disappear. He had been everything to me as a child.

Things changed when we got older but he still meant a lot to me. Taicho slowly took over that role that had balanced out my 'wilder side'." Orihime noticed the slight smile that crept over Rangiku's face as she mentioned her Captain. She continued to listen as Rangiku said, "Time seems to be helping; time and a gorgeous body," she said and winked.

Orihime laughed as they walked into her apartment. She looked at Ulquiorra who was standing in the kitchen getting himself a glass of water. It was still a shock sometimes for her to see him like that.

Rangiku walked over to the other wall and started sifting through Orihime's movies. She picked one out and waved it at Orihime. "Is this one ok?" she asked.

Orihime nodded her head and walked over to sit on the overstuffed recliner. Ulquiorra joined her and sat down on the ground between her legs. She let her hands sift through his dark hair and watched as Grimmjow sat on the couch next to Rangiku. His arm snaked out and pulled the bosomy woman against his chest as he leaned back into the corner of the couch.

The two pairs sat in silence as they watched the romantic comedy. Half way through the movie, Orihime slid her hands underneath Ulquiorra's armpit and tried to drag him up to the seat with her. He had been too heavy for her to lift so he stood up and sat down when she scooted over. She swung a leg over his and snuggled into his side when he lifted an arm around her shoulders. When she turned her head to look up at him she caught him looking at her and they both smiled and kissed each other. Their lips lingered and teased each other and soon they were leaning into the kiss with a bit too much enthusiasm.

"Just go to bed," Grimmjow growled from the couch.

Orihime giggled and slid off Ulquiorra's lap to head to her bedroom with Ulquiorra trailing behind her.

When the door closed to their room, Grimmjow started rubbing his hand over Rangiku's hips and nuzzled her neck with his mouth. "'Bout time they left," he whispered into her ear.

"I have no idea what you mean," Rangiku said as she giggled when his lips brushed her neck.

When his hand moved up to cup her breast she arched into his hand and leaned her head back against his shoulder. His lips moved up to capture hers and his hand squeezed her breast ever so slightly, eliciting a soft moan from Rangiku's mouth. The hand slid underneath her top and moved up and something intruded into her thoughts and she jumped out of the seat and stood up.

"I… I'm sorry. I just need a moment," she said and turned to rush into the bathroom. Once inside, she ran some cool water out of the tap and splashed her face. 'What was she doing?' she asked herself. She'd never been with anyone besides Gin before. Her hands gripped the side of the sink and she stared at herself in the mirror.

Back in the living room, Grimmjow ran a hand through his hair and sighed. He had never wanted anyone so badly before. Her body had been tempting him all day and those crystal blue eyes drove him mad when they looked at him in that seductive way. 'Maybe he had made his move too quickly,' he thought to himself and stood up to get a drink. When a pair of arms wrapped around his waist as he reached into a cabinet, he smiled and released his breath in a long sigh. He turned within the embrace and reached his hands up to cup her face. His lips descended and brushed against her cool mouth.

Rangiku moaned and ran her hands up his back, feeling the muscles beneath his shirt and gathering the fabric in her hands. Grimmjow lifted her up with his arms and spun them around so that Rangiku was pressed against the counter. Her hips slid back on the smooth surface and Grimmjow stood between her legs as his mouth devoured hers.

His hands moved up the sides of her body and when they grasped the bottom of her shirt he lifted his head to look at her. She nodded her head and lifted her arms up so that he could remove her shirt. His eyes moved down to the necklace that dipped inside her cleavage and he reached a finger down to run along the length of the chain. When his fingers brush against the side of her breast he slowly moved them around to cup the fullness in the palm of his hand.

Rangiku reached behind her back and started unclasping the hooks of her bra. When the fabric popped open, Grimmjow slid his hands up and removed the straps from her shoulders. The bra fell off her breasts and landed on the floor beneath them. He kissed her again and slid his tongue inside her mouth. His hands sought out the soft mounds and he cupped them both as his thumbs moved over the sensitive buds.

A moan traveled up Rangiku's throat as his caresses sent shivers through her body. She moved her hands to the bottom of his shirt and lifted it over his chest and pulled it off his head. A second later he pressed his naked chest to hers and their skin rubbed hotly together. She could feel his erection growing inside his pants as he pressed himself between her legs. She wanted more of him.

Reaching between their bodies she ran her hand over the bulge in front of his pants. She heard him groan at the contact so she increased the pressure of her hand against him, stroking him through the jeans.

Grimmjow's hands moved to grasp her hips and he pressed himself against her, trapping her hand between their bodies. When he felt her fingers move up and start unbuttoning his pants he bit down on the small lobe on her ear. His lips grazed the skin beneath her ear and he started licking and sucking his way around her neck. Her small fingers reached inside his pants and grasped the hard erection, pulling it out of the opening of his pants and stroking the thick length.

He nearly lost control when she started running her hands up and down his shaft. His fingers quickly undid the front of her own shorts and he jerked them down her legs. When he stood back up, his hard erection was mere inches away from her womanhood. He wanted to enter her this very instant, especially when he looked into her eyes and saw so much lust behind them but he held back. He wanted to taste her.

Bending his knees he ducked down and licked his tongue over her woman's crack. She sucked in a breath at the feel and then gasped when his tongue ran over her clit and started to make tiny circles around it.

The taste of her made him even harder and he didn't last long before his erection was painfully pulsing to enter her. He straightened and kissed her lips. Her hands reached behind his head and she moved her hips forward in an age old invitation. He accepted at once.

His hand reached down between their bodies and he guided himself inside of her, pushing into the warmth inch by inch. He felt her fingernails dig into the back of his neck and he thrust one final time to fully sheath himself within her folds. She raked her nails down his back and hung on to him as he started to push into her with powerful strokes of his hips. Their mouths found each other and started to battle as their hips followed an ever increasing rhythm.

Rangiku tried to surpress the gasps and moans but when he found just the right spot she cried out and threw her head back. Grimmjow continued to stroke that spot till he saw her body convulse in front of him and her teeth bit into the flesh on his shoulder. His hands grabbed her hips and he started to thrust wildly inside her, slapping his hips against her slick entrance. When he felt his own release coming he grabbed her round cheeks and pressed as deeply as he could, letting his semen seep deep inside of her.

A few minutes later, Rangiku grazed his back with her nails and she heard him almost growl against her. He picked her up and walked across the room, lying her down on his thin mattress. She smiled as she looked up at him and he smiled back.

"That was fun," she said as she let her hands travel over his chest.

"Mhmm," he replied and lay down on his side next to her.

She tilted her head to the side and kissed him lightly on the lips. "Maybe we'll have to do it again some time," she said and kissed him again, more aggressively this time.

Grimmjow didn't have time to agree before he was on her again.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

When Orihime woke up the next day, she found herself wrapped tightly in pale arms. His breath fanned out against her neck and when she moved slightly, the arms tightened around her even more. She snuggled back against his warmth and closed her eyes. 'She could stay like this forever,' she thought.

Unfortunately she had to get ready for school soon and she groaned as she thought about moving. When Ulquiorra heard her he lifted his head and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing really. I just don't wanna get up," she answered as she turned in his embrace to face him.

She kissed him and then smiled when he tightened his arms around her again. 'Maybe she could miss just one more day,' she thought then remembered that he had to leave as well to go to work.

"I guess I can make it if I know you will be here when I get back," she said as she started to pick herself up. When she looked back down at him still lying on the bed with his beautiful dark hair a mess around his head, she felt a now familiar warmth fill her stomach and her hands reflexively reached out for his.

"You know," she started to say and then wondered if she should continue.

When he saw the same look cross her face that had been there the other day he quickly straightened up and ran his hand over her cheek. "I know something's bothering you Orihime. I wish you would tell me," he said.

Orihime looked at his face timidly and said, "I want you to know something but I'm a little bit afraid to tell you."

Ulquiorra looked at her worriedly and said, "You don't need to be afraid. If you want me to leave then you can just tell me."

"Oh no, it's not that at all," she said quickly and then continued nervously, "Actually it's the opposite. I don't ever want you to leave. It's completely selfish of me and I know that it's not right of me to ask you that. But I can't help it. When I thought you were dead I… I might as well have been dead too. I went through my days like a zombie and I didn't think I'd ever snap out of it… I didn't want to snap out of it. Now, when I think of you leaving I get that same feeling again and it scares me to death." Her eyes didn't dare meet his so she continued to look down at the yellow sheets.

Ulquiorra just stared at the woman in front of him. She had her legs folded beneath her and her hands were fidgeting in her lap as she continued to look down at the mattress. He couldn't believe what she had just said. It was nearly inconceivable for him to think that a woman like her could ever truly want him. He had convinced himself that the past few weeks had just been a dream and that she would soon awaken from it and send him back to Las Noches where he would wander the halls lonely again. Something inside him twisted and heat pooled in his stomach as he continued to stare at the beauty before him. 'She wanted him,' he thought.

An instant later he lowered his head and crushed his lips to hers. She seemed to take a second to register the contact but soon she was practically strangling him with her embrace. Neither could seem to get close enough as their lips hungrily devoured the others. When they finally parted, both breathless from their kissing, they leaned their foreheads together and just sat there.

"Orihime, I never want to leave you either. I've been dreading the day that you would ask me to go back to Las Noches. I never knew these kind of feelings existed until you. I don't want to go back to what I was." Ulquiorra stopped when he heard a sniffle escape from the woman in front of him. He tilted her head back and looked into her tear filled eyes.

"Why are you crying?" he asked quietly.

Orihime sucked in a ragged breath and tried to answer, "Ulquiorra, I think… I think I love you."

Ulquiorra's eyes opened wide and he felt something in his chest burst with warmth and spread out over his body. 'So this is what it means,' he thought to himself before saying, "I love you too woman."

Orihime giggled between her sniffles and said, "I love you too, Orihime."

Ulquiorra smiled and repeated, "I love you too Orihime Inoue."

She pressed her lips to his and smiled against his mouth. When she opened her eyes and saw the red numbers on her alarm clock she jumped up and cried, "Oh goodness, you're going to be late for work and I'm going to be late for school."

Orihime skipped around the room, getting her stuff together and humming the whole time. Ulquiorra watched her and couldn't erase the smile that crept over his face. He was amazed at how quickly she could go from tears to nearly bursting with happiness.

Before they were finished getting dressed they heard from the hallway, "Are you guys ever coming out? We're gonna be late," yelled Grimmjow.

"We're coming!" Orihime yelled and finished buttoning the last few buttons. She flew over to Ulquiorra and kissed him quickly before bouncing away and opening the door.

Ulquiorra and Grimmjow left first and Orihime was right behind them but before she left she stuck her head back inside and asked Rangiku, "You're still going to be here after school right?"

Rangiku nodded her head and said, "Yea I'll be here but I have to leave tomorrow."

Orihime frowned and said, "Oh ok. We'll have to make tonight extra special then."

'Oh I bet it will be,' Rangiku thought to herself as she watched her friend close the door behind her.

The day went by in a blur for Orihime. She spent most of the time daydreaming about Ulquiorra and when the last bell rang, signaling the end of school, she nearly ran out of the classroom. When she burst through the doors to get outside she picked up her pace and really did start to run. As she was about to round the first corner out of the parking lot she noticed someone with black hair walking towards her. She squealed and ran towards Ulquiorra, throwing her arms around his neck as he lifted her off of the ground in a backbreaking hug. Their lips met before her feet touched the ground and they forgot about the people around them.

After what seemed like hours, they broke apart when they heard someone cough beside them.

"Oh hi Kurosaki-kun," said Orihime as she turned her head in the direction of the intruding sound.

"My dad wanted me to ask if you all wanted to come over for desserts tonight," Ichigo said as he stood their uncomfortably next to the couple.

Orihime smiled and said, "We'd love to! That will be perfect tonight. Rangiku has to go back to the Soul Society tomorrow and I wanted to make tonight fun for her."

Ichigo scratched his orange hair and said, "Yea sure. I'll tell my dad and Yuzu. See ya guys later."

Orihime watched as Ichigo turned and started to walk away quickly. She hoped she hadn't made him too uncomfortable. When she turned back to Ulquiorra she grabbed his hand and started walking down the street to her apartment.

When they walked inside, they found Rangiku and Grimmjow sitting on the sofa with their heads close together. They didn't seem to notice the couple as they walked in so Orihime pulled Ulquiorra quietly through the room and down the hallway to enter her bedroom.

"Oh man they must really like each other," she said to Ulquiorra as she started to change out of her school clothes. "That's really going to stink tomorrow when she has to leave. I hope they will be ok."

Ulquiorra didn't know what to say so he just sat on the bed and watched Orihime. When she was standing in just her underclothes he leaned forward and grabbed her hand to pull her over to him. She giggled and sat on his lap with her legs straddling him. He kissed her passionately and couldn't keep his hands from touching every inch of skin he could find. Somehow he managed to unsnap her bra, something he was very proud of himself for being able to do, and pulled it down over her arms. He bent her back to give himself better access to her breasts and took a pink nipple into his mouth. He sucked on the hard nub greedily and felt himself start to press against the front of his pants.

Orihime started to breath heavier and slowly grinded herself against his hips. He removed his mouth from one nipple and moved over to torture the other while his hands reached around her and grasped her buttocks. When he slid his hand beneath her panties and started to penetrate her with the tip of one finger she gasped and started to rip at his clothing. He allowed her to yank his shirt over his head and when her fingers moved between their bodies to undo the button of his pants he groaned and helped her remove the unwanted fabric.

When his pants were lying on the floor, Orihime removed herself from his lap for a moment and slid her underwear off to join his. She quickly jumped back on and kissed him, her tongue diving into his mouth. Ulquiorra guided himself into her warmth and let her ease down his length. When he was fully pressed inside her he watched as Orihime leaned back and started riding him slowly. He loved watching her slide her body up and down his shaft, her breasts bouncing in front of his face.

Her face, he thought, was the most exquisite thing he'd ever seen as she took her pleasure on him and moaned his name as she found her release. It didn't take long for him to climax as well and he grabbed her against him when he was fully spent inside of her.

Their bodies rose in fell in a rapid rhythm as they slowly regained their breath. Ulquiorra's fingers traveled over her skin which was covered in a thin sheen of sweat. His own skin was the same and it felt good to rub his body against hers.

"I think we need to take a shower now before we go to the Kurosaki's," said Orihime as she leaned back in his arms and smiled.

Ulquiorra nodded his head in agreement and they grabbed some different clothes and hopped across the hallway to the bathroom.

When they finished with their shower and got dressed they walked out to the living room and said hello to Grimmjow and Rangiku who both looked up with flushed faces.

"Kurosaki-kun invited us all over for desserts tonight. We probably need to leave in a few minutes. I hope that's ok with you guys," said Orihime.

"That sounds nice Orihime. I'll go get ready," said Rangiku who quickly got up and nearly ran to the bathroom.

Grimmjow sat back and grinned at Rangiku's retreating form. When she was gone from sight he asked, "Does dessert mean ice cream?"

Orihime nodded her head and said, "Yep! Ice cream and brownies and cake and candy. All the good stuff."

"Perfect," said Grimmjow as he rose from the couch and walked into the bathroom.

Orihime heard a screech upon his entrance but the door closed and the two didn't leave the room for a good 10 minutes. When they finally came out, Rangiku said "Alright, we're ready."

They grabbed their stuff and left a few minutes later.

XxXxXxXx

Later that night as the group was heading home after stuffing themselves with sugar, Orihime and Ulquiorra walked hand in hand together while Rangiku and Grimmjow followed slowly behind. Orihime and Ulquiorra waited in the living room for the other couple to arrive and upon their entrance Orihime asked, "So Rangiku-san, what time do you have to leave tomorrow?"

"In the morning. I have to be back in time to lead drills for the squad," Rangiku answered in barely concealed disappointment.

"Oh that's a bummer. When will you be able to come back again?" she asked.

"I'm not sure. Hopefully I'll get more time off soon," said Rangiku as she looked over at Grimmjow who stood beside her with his hand holding hers.

"I hope so too," Orihime said and then continued. "Well ummm, we're gonna go to bed. Have a good night."

Orihime led Ulquiorra out of the room and closed the door behind them as they walked into her bedroom. She knew Rangiku and Grimmjow wanted some time alone so she didn't want to dally around.

Ulquiorra walked up to Orihime and placed his hands on her cheeks. He looked into her eyes and asked, "What do we do now?"

Orihime knew that he wasn't talking about that instant but rather was talking about the future. She shook her head and said, "I don't know. But I know I'm really happy with the way things are right now. Could we just play it by ear from here?"

Ulquiorra nodded his head and let a small smile spread across his face. Orihime kissed him and hoped that she would never have to let him go.

**XxXxXxX**

_**18 months later**_

Orihime grabbed her bag from the counter and threw it over her shoulder as she started to run to the front door. Ulquiorra grabbed her waist and pulled her back, kissing her hungrily as she wiggled to try to get away.

When he let go of her mouth she giggled and said, "You're going to make me late again for work. Kurosaki Isshin is going to kill me if I'm late again."

Orihime was an intern now at Isshin's medical clinic. She was studying to be a doctor and he had kindly hired her on.

Ulquiorra watched his girlfriend slam the door behind her as she ran out of the house. He grabbed his keys and turned to where Grimmjow sat on the other side of the room. "You ready to go to work?" he asked.

Grimmjow grunted as he got up and said, "I don't know why we have to be on time to work. We own the damn place."

Ulquiorra and Grimmjow had opened their own store a few months ago. One day while they were packing Orihime's little apartment to move into their new, larger 2 bedroom apartment, Ulquiorra had remembered the space in Las Noches. They stored their stuff there temporarily but afterwards they decided to make a business out of it. Now they ran a small storage business. No one knew that their stuff was being stored in another dimension.

During their downtime, Ulquiorra studied at the same University as Orihime but focused his studies on architecture. He had grown fond of the tall buildings of the city and decided he wanted to create his own.

When Orihime got home that evening, Rangiku was there visiting Grimmjow like she did nearly every Friday. The four ate dinner together and then found their way to their bedrooms.

_**3 years later**_

'Finally Graduation Day,' Orihime thought as she rubbed her stomach where the smallest bump started to form.

She walked out of the bedroom and found Ulquiorra bent over a pile of papers in the kitchen. He looked up at his wife as she walked into the room and dropped the pencil from his mouth. She looked extra radiant today and he thought she must be excited about finally graduating.

"What are you working on?" she asked as she moved by his side.

Ulquiorra slid his arm around her waist and said, "Just some new sketches for the job proposal I'm working on."

"They look good," she said and kissed his cheek.

Ulquiorra turned his head and kissed her on the mouth. He was still amazed at how quickly he could get aroused by the woman next to him. When they finally broke apart, Orihime walked over to the cabinet and grabbed herself a glass and started making herself some chocolate milk. She quickly drank it down and stared at the glass like she wished there had been more.

She shrugged her shoulders and put the glass down into the sink. She took a seat on the other side of the table that Ulquiorra was working on and said, "I'm late."

Ulquiorra lifted his head to look at the clock and turned back to look at the sketch in front of him. "The ceremony isn't for another hour and a half. You have plenty of time."

Orihime laughed and said, "Ulquiorra, I'm 'late'."

Ulquiorra put down the pencil he'd been holding and looked at her like she was losing her mind.

Orihime stood up and slowly walked around the table. She slid her arms around his waist and looked up into his emerald green eyes and said, "I'm pregnant."

Her husband's whole body stiffened and his face went from shock, to incredulity, to joy in just a matter of seconds. "Wh.. when did you find out?" he asked.

"Just this morning," Orihime said while smiling up at him. "I think I'm 2 ½ months along."

Ulquiorra was so surprised and so happy that he was speechless so he gathered her into his arms and just held her tightly.

_**7 months later**_

Ulquiorra sat in the corner of the light green room, looking down at his 2 week old daughter as she reached a tiny hand up and grasped his finger. Her big green eyes scanned the room while she held on to her father's finger and found her mother who was walking into the room with a bottle in her hands.

Orihime slid the bottle between her babies pink lips and handed it over to Ulquiorra to let him feed her. She watched Ulquiorra stare at the beautiful baby in his arms and she felt her chest constrict with love. When Ulquiorra turned his eyes to look at her, their was a small tear at the corner of his eye. Orihime reached a finger out and caught the tear before it fell down his face, smiling as she leaned forward and kissed him.

_**The End**_

**Please let me know what you think! I have a few idea's on other stories I'd like to write but I think I'm gonna leave the Ulquihime subject for a little while… maybe lol. I'd love some suggestions if anyone would like to see me write something else.**

**Thanks for following my story this far!**


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